For the second day in a row, hot temperatures across the province have led to a record-breaking demand for electricity. As people try and get some relief from the heat, BC Hydro says air conditioning use contributed to a new record on Wednesday, breaking the all-time high established on Tuesday. The utility says customers used the most electricity in the evening between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Demand reached 8,870 megawatts on Wednesday, up from 8,715 megawatts at the same time on Tuesday. The previous record of 8,652 megawatts was set in August 2025. BC Hydro says their hydroelectric system has performed reliably, but that they will continue to monitor systems closely. Heat warnings that have blanketed the southern half of the province this week have receded, ending in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast, portions of Vancouver Island and the North Coast. But more than 20 heat warnings remain in place, including in the Fraser Canyon, the Okanagan, Kootenay, Shuswap and Cariboo areas. With files from The Canadian Press.
