British Columbia will move to permanent daylight time after clocks shift forward this Sunday, Premier David Eby said today.
The change ends the twice-yearly clock adjustment. Eby said the decision follows years of debate and a 2019 public consultation in which 93 percent of respondents supported ending seasonal time changes. More than 200,000 people took part in the survey but it is unclear if people opinion has shifted since then.
Eby said the province had waited years for western U.S. states to make a similar move, but Congress has not approved the change.
“Someone has to go first,” he said.
He said that keeping more daylight in the late afternoon makes sense in a northern province where winter days are short, and it could mean more light during the evening commute and more time outdoors at the end of the day.
Asked about concerns over darker winter mornings, including children walking to school, Eby said many people already travel to work and school in the dark in November and December. He pointed to parts of northeastern and southeastern B.C. that effectively stay on Mountain Time year-round and said they have not reported major problems.
He did not announce any specific safety measures related to school travel.
Business groups have previously warned that moving ahead without the United States could complicate travel and cross-border trade. Eby said the issue has been debated for six years and that businesses will have eight months to prepare before the change takes effect. He noted Yukon has already adopted permanent daylight time.
The permanent change will take effect later this year.