Years of Heartbreak, Years of Joy

 The era that began with the Great Depression in 1929 and ended with victory in Europe and Japan in 1945 was an emotional roller coaster for those who lived through it. It truly was the best and the worst of times. These 15 years changed the world and the lives of virtually all Canadians. First, there was the stock-market crash of 1929, followed by the "Dirty Thirties" with their massive unemployment marches, riots, and widespread human suffering. A brief period of economic improvement came next, followed by the desperate early days of the Second World War. Fortunately the tide turned, the war was won, and a period of boundless optimism emerged.

The very first of the one-operator President's Conference Cars -PCC's - arrived on the scene in late 1938.  The Street Railway Union objected to them because they "put conductors out of work" but these BCE employees, and the public, clearly loved them.

In some ways, the fortunes of BC Electric and its employees reflected what was happening elsewhere in the country during the Depression. The company lost a great deal of its core business, and expansion plans were put on hold. Some people lost their jobs; almost everyone had their wages reduced. Many employees went to war; some didn't return. New workers replaced those who served in the military, and many women were hired to do "men's work." These replacement workers were themselves often replaced by returning veterans after the war.

In other ways, the company bucked national trends. A job with BCE was more secure than most because of the vital role electricity and transportation played in both the provincial economy and the war effort. BCE employees were in a good position to get through tough times.

BC Electric didn't grow much during these years as it worked hard to keep itself solvent and its staff employed. But, the company became much better at selling itself and its products. It was during these 15 years that BCE became part of most city dwellers' lives and, some would argue, part of the province's cultural landscape. By the end of the Second World War, BC Electric was set to take a leading role in developing BC's potential, and it had a $ 50-million plan in place to make that happen.

The Bridge River project was slated to get underway again and an expanded workforce was knocking at the door. Public transportation was already changing dramatically as populations grew and buses and trolleys became more prominent. More people meant more customers for more services from companies like BCE. Rapid industrial growth put demands on the company that it had never experienced before.

The Depression and the Second World War years served as a bridge between an older age and a distinctly modern era. BCE managed to survive, prosper, and emerge ready to meet the inevitable challenges of providing power and transportation to more and more people.

		A souvenier button from the BCE Newcastle Island picnic of 1937