Seasonal time change back to standard time comes into effect Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 a.m., as clocks fall back one hour for the winter months. (Dreamstime)
more sleep, less sun

B.C. in time change ‘holding pattern’ as seasonal fall back approaches

Nov 3, 2022 | 2:28 PM

NANAIMO — Here we go again: spring forward, fall back.

Another round of seasonal time change will mean another hour of sleep from the rollback of clocks at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6, but also another bout of frustration around much earlier sunsets.

Tara Holmes, co-founder with Stop The Time Change BC, is optimistic this could be one of the last times we officially fall back after the United States Senate unanimously supported an end to the practice for November 2023.

“We’re kind of in this holding pattern with what they’re doing in the USA, which I know people don’t like to hear that we have to be the followers in this issue.”

Outgoing Premier John Horgan has stated B.C. won’t adjust its clocks out of sync with the western United States, namely Washington, Oregon and California.

Holmes said everything is in place for B.C. to make the switch, essentially giving incoming Premier David Eby the ability to do it at will.

The hope is once the clock springs forward next March, they’ll remain there permanently.

“That’s because [the United States] want to stay on DST permanently in order to protect that sunshine for people to enjoy later in the day,” Holmes said. “93 per cent of British Columbians want to stay on daylight (time) and we are on daylight way longer than we’re on standard.”

Holmes said their work campaigning for a stop to season time switches is largely over and it’s now just a waiting game.

She’s expecting some news soon ahead of the November 2023 timeline mentioned in the Senate’s approval.

“Because this time is coming up, they’ll no doubt get back to their conversations, it usually happens around this time and we’ll see where they’re at but it’ll be interesting to watch for sure.”

Canada formally adopted daylight savings time in 1918 as a wartime production measure, however, the practice of adjusting time to better use daylight hours dates back to the ancient Romans.

Over 70 countries around the world use some form of daylight savings time adjustment throughout the year, however, some, such as Australia, don’t have all their states make the switch.

— with files from Jon deRoo, 97.3 The Eagle

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