Heritage Week kicked off throughout the province this week with a series of events highlighting the role power production has played in British Columbia’s history.
Beginning Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Stave Falls Visitors Centre in Mission, families can tour Turn on the Juice: the Development of Electricity in Mission, chronicling the early development of power in B.C.
The Western Canada Power Company, now BC Hydro, began construction of the Stave Falls Powerhouse and Dam in 1909. It was used to generate power for the Fraser Valley until it was decommissioned in 2000. Today the facility, a National Historic Site of Canada, tells the story of how power helped build B.C.
Finding an event in the Lower Similkameen might be a bit difficult for local residents, as Keremeos’ historic Grist Mill awaits the release of the provincial budget in order to find out what the site’s funding will be for 2012. The provincially funded historic site has been plagued by budget shortages and erratic funding for the past decade.