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Comment by Forricide | Hacker News Reader

I always assumed we just called it hydro in BC because so much of the power comes from hydroelectric, but then I moved and it seems we call it hydro everywhere no master source..?

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Hydroelectric was historically even more dominant in Canada than today. In places that aren't majority hydro now, they were in the past, like in Ontario and Alberta.

The name of the utility companies in most provinces was probably an influence. Until 1999 in Ontario it was the Ontario Hydro-Electric Power Commission, shortened normally to Ontario Hydro. Manitoba Hydro. Hydro Quebec. I think in Toronto they still stamp manhole covers with THES (Toronto Hydro-Electric System).

In Ontario, we still have Hydro One as a (the?) primary distributor of electricity outside urban environments.

If I remember correctly, Hydro One also serves some parts of the Ottawa area, and their delivery rates were different enough from Hydro Ottawa that it was often a material consideration for where one chose to buy one's house.

I think it’s primarily BC and Ontario. And maybe a French version in Quebec.

That would definitely make the most sense. It’s also hydro in Quebec (hydro-Québec).

Hydro-Québec is the name of the power company there so I’m guessing it is.

I think it's pretty common in Western Canada. Definitely the norm in Manitoba.

Not common in Alberta but people probably will know what you mean.

I've had to explain to an Albertan friend that hydro meant power, they mostly use coal out there from what I understand.

Alberta doesn't use any coal actually.

They have only recently finished phasing out coal, such that it appears in last year's statistics. And it's still mostly natural gas, i.e. a fossil fuel.

https://www.aeso.ca/aeso/understanding-electricity-in-albert...

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