The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was an historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company, the BCER assumed control of existing streetcar and interurban lines in southwestern British Columbia in 1897, and operated the electric railway systems in the region until the last interurban service was discontinued in 1958. During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria; these systems subsequently became part of BC Transit, and the routes in Greater Vancouver eventually came under the control of TransLink. Trolley buses still run in the City of Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby.

For thousands of years the area that is today known as Steveston was home to the Halq’eméylem speaking peoples. Specifically, the area is said to be home to at least two Musqueam villages. One known as qʷeyaʔχʷ was located East of what is today known as Garry Point Park. This community was forced out of their homes due to pressure from the canneries who would replace their homes with fishing camps. The second village, qʷɬeyəm, is believed to have been located North of Moncton Street near Railway Avenue. Today, Musqueam's presence in the history of what is today known as Steveston is heavily underrepresented. As Musqueam Councillor Howard Grant explains, there is "almost nothing with respect to Musqueam people... or First Nations in general." Richmond is currently working to change this as, "recently, city council voted to rebuild the historic First Nations Bunkhouse in Britannia Heritage Shipyards--believed to be the only structure of its kind remaining along B.C.'s coast."