Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Bear Hill Rural Electrification Association
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1953-1983
History
The Bear Hill Electrification Association Ltd. was formed in 1953 to serve farmers in the La Glace-Valhalla area, and signed its first contract with the Alberta Power Commission that year. Each of the 45 members who signed on paid an initial $150.00. The Alberta Government had set up the Rural Electrification Revolving Fund Act in order to provide low interest loans to fund the electrical distribution systems, and the local associations became the Collection Agents. By the 1980s approximately 200 customers in the Bear Hill area had been serviced with electric power, but new technology and increased values on electricity made power companies eager to buy out the REAs. Older REAs were finding maintenance costs more and more expensive so began selling out. The Alberta government set up a task force to look into changes to the Rural Electrificarion Act, hoping to review the concept of REAs and solve a problem that was brewing between the power companies and the associations before the REAs all sold out. An action committee of the 6 REAs in the Peace country also tried to stop the selling out tide. Some thought that they should wait for the government to consider a public power system. Others were convinced they did not want to have to deal with repairs to the lines. One resolution was passed that required two-thirds of the total membership to vote on a sale, but by then the Bear Hill Electrification Association had already agreed to sell. In November, 1983, the Bear Hill REA accepted Alberta Power's offer to purchase their line.
Places
La Glace, Alberta
Valhalla, Alberta
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
South Peace Regional Archives
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Final
Level of detail
Partial
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Description revised by TD on July 2, 2015.
Language(s)
- English