The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was founded in 1897 and operated the urban streetcar and interurban railway systems in Victoria, Vancouver, and the surrounding area. In addition to transportation, the company also supplied electricity and lighting to the region and developed hydroelectric power stations to supply electricity to the grid. The companys electric railway services ended in 1958. In 1961, the company was nationalized, and in 1962 its assets were merged with those of the BC Power Commission as part of the establishment of the provincial utility BC Hydro.