BURSTAlberta’s UCP government wants to put a stop to time changes in the spring and fall.
Legislation is expected this week to introduce a plan to keep Albertans on permanent daylight saving time for more daylight at the end of the day.
Last month, the province announced targeted engagement with industries and key stakeholders in Alberta to understand the impacts a permanent time zone would have on their operations and their preference.
Currently, Albertans advance their clocks an hour on the second Sunday of March for daylight saving time, and clocks are reset to standard time by turning clocks back an hour on the first Sunday of November.
Albertans adopted the practice in 1972 following the results of a plebiscite.
Innisfail Mayor Jean Barclay posted that permanent daylight saving would mean that the sunrise in December would arrive between 9:30 and 9:45-ish in her community.
“It will be interesting to see some of the implications of this. Darkness in Edmonton and further north until mid-morning or later during the winter? NHL games beginning at 9:00 pm in Edmonton and Calgary? Airline scheduling?” she posted on Facebook.
In 2021, when the UCP government held a referendum asking Albertans if they wanted to eliminate the need to change their clocks twice a year, 50.2 per cent said no.
A survey by Alberta’s NDP government in 2019 showed 91 per cent (141, 280 responses) were in favour of moving permanently to daylight saving.
This year British Columbia moved to permanent daylight saving, saying it will improve people’s overall health, reduce disruptions for families, simplify scheduling and provide an extra hour of evening light during the winter months.
After conducting public engagement, the time change became law in B.C. in 2019, but it was originally not brought into force immediately to coordinate timing with neighbouring U.S. states in the same time zone.
Washington and Oregon passed permanent daylight saving legislation, but still require approval from the U.S. Congress.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have enacted legislation and await a federal law amendment.
Saskatchewan has observed permanent central standard time since 1966, and Yukon adopted permanent mountain standard time in 2020.
Earlier this week, Northwest Territories announced it will end seasonal time changes.