B.C. is keeping daylight saving time (DST) permanently. The clocks will now permanently remain the same throughout the entire year.
This change comes after seven years when the B.C. government passed legislation to end the time changes.
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DST Beginnings
DST began back in 1908 when Port Arthur, Ontario (now modern-day Thunder Bay) residents shuffled their clocks forward by an hour to mark the beginning of the time change. Although this was only a local implementation, it eventually became national in the late 1960s.
The rationale behind DST is to conserve energy and make use of available daylight, although this reasoning has been challenged as some believe that DST is more trouble than it’s worth.
According to a 2022 policy proposal from the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, “there are… studies that tell us that the [time] change itself can cause accidents, injuries, and even deaths. Many of these issues are related to sleep pattern change that the biennial shift mandates.” They list a number of recorded issues, cited in a variety of studies:
- Sleep loss
- Heart attacks
- Traffic accidents
The Chamber ultimately recommends that the Provincial Government “collaborates with Washington State, Oregon and California to have the Pacific Time Zone in Canada and U.S.A to remain on DST throughout the year.”
Daylight Saving Time Changes In B.C.
In 2019, a survey revealed the majority of British Columbians wanted to get rid of DST altogether. When the Province proposed to make DST permanent, “93% of British Columbian respondents indicated support for the change in a record-breaking public engagement.”
Now, change has come to B.C. This November 1, the province’s clocks will no longer fall back while most of Canada’s does.
In a statement, Premier David Eby said, “Every parent knows that changing clocks twice a year causes a significant amount of chaos on already busy lives. British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them. This decision isn’t just about clocks. It’s about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy.”
