BC is a Step Closer to making Daylight Savings Permanent

Government of British Columbia/Flickr

For years, Canadian provinces have been eyeing a switch to Daylight Savings Time (“DST”) coordinated with their American counterparts. Earlier in March, that switch took a step further after the United States Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would permanently implement DST across Canada’s southern neighbour.

Daylight Saving Time was introduced by the Canadian government in 1918 as a method to improve production during World War I, saving coal for the war efforts. After the first World War ended, DST ended but began again during the Second World War and re- mained that way since then, according to The Canadian Encylopedia. It may have been logical at the time, but now, many Canadians do not like the change in their routine DST causes.

In 2019, Premier John Horgan decided to bring for th a conversation about making DST permanent in BC after a government survey showed that 93 per cent of people living in the prov- ince were not in favour of changing the clocks twice a year. This survey passed legislation three years ago, but Horgan was waiting for Washington, Oregon, and California to also change their time zone. “...we heard from people and

businesses in B.C. that we need to stay aligned with our time zone neighbours in Washington, Oregon, California, and Yukon,” Attorney General David Eby told CBC News in a report in November 2021.

Beyond economic incentives, sleep scientists suggest that people should have consistent sleep schedules year-round for individual health reasons.

Daylight Savings Time throws things off when the hour changes because it is difficult to adjust to new schedules and a lot of things seem to be out of sync. People take some time to adjust to its new schedule, therefore, resulting in some unproductive days.

Every human is equipped with their own biological clock which in- structs and prepares them for their daily activities. Their clock includes their sleep/wake rotations, body functions, and activity, The Canadian Society for Chronobiology (“CSC”) said in a media statement.

The CSC also says that the light that shines in a human’s eyes alerts the brain’s central clock which then sends messages all over the body preparing it for its daily activities.

The Atlantic reported in March of 2022 that a natural delay in a teenager’s biological clock is normal for no apparent reason. Changing the clocks two times a year messes up their biological clock even more, especially since most teenagers do not get the required amount of sleep. This can lead to depression and other mental health-related factors. Although, if daylight savings were to become permanent, high schoolers could be going to school in pitch black and their body would be confused as to what time it is.

Some disasters were linked with DST such as the Challenger Explosion and the Exxon Valdez, according to David Wagner, a professor of management at the University of Oregon. Wagner wrote in an article for The Conversation in 2018 that these accidents were caused by sleep deprivation because of daylight savings. Many other accidents were caused by this time change because the body is not used to the change in its biological schedule.

Several reports show that the springtime change has the most effects on accidents because of sleep deprivation. A study in Michigan showed that there was a 24 per cent increase in heart attacks the day after the spring Daylight Savings Time. For businesses, DST affects the work habits of most employees and sales could be lower than usual.

The discussion remains about the negative aspects daylight savings caused but there are some pessimistic factors if DST became permanent. While some may enjoy the pleasure of having the sun be out until late in the evening, mornings will be quite dark. In Vancouver, the sun will not rise as late as 9:00 AM, which researchers say would not be suitable for people going to work or school especially since there is a higher risk of accidents occurring.

Other provinces in Canada are looking to end the practice of Daylight Savings. Some cities such as Toronto and Ottawa would want to have their time-oriented with those in Washington and New York, CBC reported on April 3. For provinces like Ontario, they must check-in to see if neighbouring provinces such as Quebec, are willing to make daylight savings permanent, or else it will feel like a “logistical nightmare,” according to Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Jeremy Roberts.