Message from 1951 could have been written today

The world was quickly becoming a scarier place on the dawn of 1951 when these words appeared in the January-February Manitoba Power Commission (MPC) Bulletin. This employee newsletter came from a company that would later become a part of Manitoba Hydro.

Fresh off the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Cold War was the new reality with the nuclear arms race between the United States and Soviet Union.

The Korean War had started weeks earlier, and Canadians were fighting alongside American troops – many soldiers fighting came from Manitoba. Across the globe, Egypt demanded that Britain remove its troops from the Suez Canal, further destabilizing the Middle East.

In Manitoba, Winnipeg was rebuilding from a devastating 1950 flood.

MPC itself was in a state of change. Rural electrification was in full swing, bringing power to towns and thousands of farms. With the post-war boom and such rapid change – including the fear Winnipeg could run out of electricity because it was growing so fast – it’s no wonder many people were preoccupied with what the future could bring.

Read the memo to MPC employees below:

A thought for 1951…

The condition of world affairs today promises to add an extra strain on everyone during the busy months ahead. This year, then, more than ever, it is important to remember the jangled nerves of others and try to project ourselves into their point of view. This applies for both customers and fellow workers alike.

When all is said and done, it is the little things that count, the little courtesies in the everyday doing of our jobs that win public approval and cooperation from other members of the staff.

There are so many things to do these days, so many things to worry us, that it may become easy to forget one of the most important words in the English language – courtesy.

It’s the thoughtfulness, the friendliness, the helpfulness of hydro employees working with each other and with the public, that make our service outstanding in the communities we serve.