100 Years Underground, presented in the exhibition room at the Youville Pumping Station, Montréal's first electrically powered wastewater pumping station, invites visitors on a journey through space and time on different themes, focusing on the contribution of the CSEM. The Commission’s work, while invisible, is nonetheless essential. Although few Montrealers realize it, the Commission’s accomplishments have has transformed the urban landscape. The goal of this exhibition is to make everyone aware of the achievements of this institution, one of the few of its kind in North America.

More than 100 years ago …

At the turn of the late 20th century, poles sprang up everywhere along city streets as electrification spread quickly and telegraph and telephone networks grew. These poles and wires cluttered the cityscape, however, and caused the fire department much concern. Finally, on June 27, 1910, the Quebec government authorized the city of Montréal to “construct, administer and maintain, with the right to regulate the use thereof, a system of underground conduits wherein shall be placed all […] wires,” and to appoint a Commission to be known as The Electric Service Commission of the City of Montreal.

Meeting the men and women who built the network

Visitors will come away with a better understanding of the CSEM’s work in its first 100 years. Its major achievements are also a reflection of the many changes that occurred in Montréal during the 20th century: the growth of the “Great White Way,” St. Catherine Street and its role as the city’s first commercial artery, the Lachine Canal, Lafontaine Park, the Metropolitan Boulevard across the north of the city, and more recently Expo 67 and the Olympic Games in 1976. The exhibition pays special tribute to the artisans of the CSEM, who built the network and developed expertise that has benefited all Montrealers.