its residents. It was not until W. A. C. Bennett's premiership and vision for his province though that British Columbia saw the realization of its hydroelectric energy potential. Bennett believed that any natural resource that was not used was wasted and pushed for the development of ways to harness the enormous unrealized hydroelectric energy power potential of the Peace River. Today, the W. A. C. Bennett and Peace Canyon facilities produce about 35% of British Columbia's total electricity. BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority Act, introduced by Premier W. A. C. Bennett in March 1962, laid out the plan in which he would pursue his Two Rivers Policy. BC Electric had refused to commit to buying the power that would be harnessed from the Peace River development as cheaper power was available elsewhere. Hence, the BC Hydro and Power Authority Act merged BC Electric with another crown corporation, the BC Power Commission, into a newly formed BC Hydro which was co-chaired by Gordon Shrum of BC Electric and Hugh Keenleyside of BC Power Commission. BC Hydro became responsible for the building of the dam, powerhouse and associated infrastructure. Local community and workers The building of the dam and the powerhouse and the creation of Williston Lake provided economic opportunities to the high number of workers who found employment with BC Hydro or one of the subcontractors; these workers included members of the local First Nations, non-native residents, non-residents, and immigrants. One of the subcontractors was the Forest Service Branch of the Department of Lands and Forests to whom BC Hydro paid $5 million to clear the area that would become Williston Lake—an area that was covered in timber to 80%. At the peak of project, 3,500 workers were employed. Many of them had moved to the area for the job and settled down, at least temporarily, in close proximity to the dam project. Hudson's Hope, a frontier town, was one of the communities in which many of the non-resident workers found a home; during the project, the population of Hudson's Hope rose from 800 to over 5,000 in 1968 and dropped to less than 1,500 by the early 1980s. In addition, about 2,000 workers lived at a camp in close proximity to the dam. Social impacts Aboriginal communities For a minority of people, many of whom were Aboriginal, environmental changes caused by the damming of the Peace