The lights were dimmed at some iconic Canadian buildings for Earth Hour this weekend but in several provinces and cities the results of the power-down were less significant than in previous years.

Toronto's CN Tower was notably dark, as were the Parliament buildings in Ottawa and the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in Halifax.

Downtown buildings went mostly dark to celebrate Earth Hour on Saturday, but lights stayed on at the Saddledome, forground, because of an event in Calgary. (Larry MacDougal/Canadian Press)

But the drop in electricity usage in British Columbia and Ontario during the hour-long event was less than in the two previous years' Earth Hour, provincial utilities said Sunday.

BC Hydro said that across British Columbia, the electricity load dropped by 1.04 per cent during the hour — a reduction amounting to 64.6 megawatt hours of electricity.

That's less than B.C.'s 1.1 per cent reduction in 2009 and two per cent reduction in 2008.

Ontario saw a four per cent drop in electricity demand during Earth Hour, which was less than the six per cent drop in 2009 and five per cent in 2008, the province's electricity system operator said.

This year's 560-megawatt decline in Ontario was enough to power a city the size of Brampton, Ont.

Terry Young, of Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator, said the weaker numbers more likely reflect the weather than a waning interest. The temperatures in Ontario were much cooler this year than during Earth Hour last year, so even though lights were shut off, heaters were running, he said.

In Saskatchewan, SaskPower recorded a 30-megawatt drop in power consumption Saturday evening, when compared to the same period the weekend before, translating into a 1.35 per cent dip in power.

The drop was marginal in Calgary. The city's power utility, Enmax, says demand for electricity fell by 0.5 per cent, which was better than the showing in 2008, when demand for power shot up by over three per cent during the hour.

In Edmonton, Epcor says demand dropped by about three per cent, a little off the mark compared to last year, when the demand for electricity dropped by over five per cent.

There were however, some bright lights in the dimming movement.

At Burns Lake, B.C., population 2,800, power usage fell seven per cent between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

"I think this is just a reflection of the character of the people that live here, we're very aware of our environment and the damage that has occurred," said Burns Lake Mayor Bernice Magee. "We're quite aware of climate change and how these effects can wear upon us."

In Ottawa, energy use fell six per cent during Earth Hour.

And in Nova Scotia, NS Power reported an 18-megawatt reduction, representing an equivalent savings of more than 1.4 million 13-watt compact florescent light bulbs.

With files from CBC News