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Daylight saving time in Canada

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Canadian daylight saving time
Observed by
BeginsSecond Sunday in March
EndsFirst Sunday in November
2023 dateMarch 12 – November 5
2024 dateMarch 10 – November 3
2025 dateMarch 9 – November 2
First time1908; 116 years ago (1908)
Related toDaylight saving time

In Canada, daylight saving time (DST) is observed in nine of the country's ten provinces and two of its three territories—though with exceptions in parts of several provinces and Nunavut.[1]

Under the Canadian Constitution, laws related to timekeeping are a provincial and territorial matter.[2] Most of Saskatchewan, despite geographically being in the Mountain Time Zone, observes year-round Central Standard Time (CST). In 2020, Yukon abandoned seasonal time change and moved to permanently observe year-round Mountain Standard Time (MST).[3]

In the regions of Canada that use daylight saving time, it begins on the second Sunday of March at 2 a.m. and ends on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. As a result, daylight saving time lasts in Canada for a total of 34 weeks (238 days) every year, about 65 percent of the entire year.

History

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Port Arthur, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay), was the first municipality in the world to enact daylight saving time, on July 1, 1908.[4][5] (Germany later became the first country to adopt the time change, on April 30, 1916.)[6]

Five Canadian cities, by local ordinance, subsequently used daylight saving time before 1918: Regina, Saskatchewan, on April 23, 1914;[6][7] Brandon and Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 24, 1916; Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 1, 1916;[8] Hamilton, Ontario on June 4, 1916.[9][10][11] St. John's, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador), also used DST before 1918, but the province itself did not become part of Canada until 1949.[11]

In practice, since the late 1960s, DST across Canada has been closely or completely synchronized with its observance in the United States to facilitate consistent economic and social interaction. When daylight time became standardized across the US in 1966 when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, Canada soon followed.[6] DST ended in October until 1986, when the end of the period was changed to November. When the United States extended DST in 1987 to the first Sunday in April, all DST-observing Canadian jurisdictions followed suit.[5]

The latest United States change (the Energy Policy Act of 2005), adding parts of March and November to the period during which DST is observed starting in 2007, was adopted by the various provinces and territories on the following dates:

  • Ontario[12] and Manitoba[13] – October 20, 2005
  • Quebec – December 5, 2005[14]
  • Prince Edward Island – December 6, 2005[15]
  • New Brunswick – December 23, 2005[16]
  • Alberta – February 2, 2006[17]
  • Northwest Territories – March 4, 2006[18]
  • British Columbia – March 31, 2006[19]
  • Nova Scotia – April 25, 2006[20]
  • Yukon – July 14, 2006[21]
  • Newfoundland and Labrador – November 20, 2006, but officially announced on January 18, 2007[22]
  • Nunavut – February 19, 2007[23]
  • Saskatchewan – No official action was taken as almost all of the province does not observe daylight saving time and remains on CST year-round. However, the few places in the province that do observe daylight saving (Lloydminster and the surrounding area, which straddles the Alberta border and observes Mountain Time; and Creighton, which observes daylight saving on an unofficial basis due to its proximity to the border with Manitoba) follow the aforementioned March–November schedule just like the rest of the country.

By province and territory

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The provinces and territories that observe DST in Canada include:[10]

Atlantic Canada

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In 2022, the premiers of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia discussed the possibility of adopting permanent daylight time.[24] Their discussion followed the US Senate passing a bill to make DST permanent; this bill died in the US House of Representatives.

British Columbia

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Most of British Columbia (BC) is on Pacific Time and observes DST. However, there are two main exceptions:

On March 31, 2006, British Columbia added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.[19]

Manitoba

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Time in Manitoba, all of which runs on Central Time, is dictated by the province's Official Time Act.[26]

In 1916, Brandon and Winnipeg became two of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance.[11] On October 20, 2005, Manitoba added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.[13]

Nunavut

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Main article: Time in Nunavut

The territory of Nunavut has three time zones: Mountain Time in the west, Central Time in the centre and, Eastern Time in the east. Daylight saving time is observed throughout Nunavut except for Southampton Island, including Coral Harbour, and Eureka, which is a permanent research station on Ellesmere Island; both remain on Eastern Standard Time year-round.[27]

On February 19, 2007, Nunavut added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.[23]

Ontario

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Most of Ontario uses DST. Pickle Lake, Atikokan, and New Osnaburgh are three communities within the Central Time Zone in northwestern Ontario that observe Eastern Standard Time year-round.

Ontario was the site of the first municipality in the world to enact DST: Port Arthur on July 1, 1908.[4] Similarly, Hamilton subsequently became one of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance.[11]

On October 20, 2005, Ontario added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.[12] In November 2020, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed Bill 214, the Time Amendment Act, 2020, which will establish year-round observation of daylight saving time. However, the act does not come into force immediately but takes effect on a day to be named by proclamation of the Ontario lieutenant governor under the advisory of the province's attorney general.[28] That is intended to avoid moving to a different time zone from the one that is used in Quebec or New York.[29]

Quebec

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Most of Quebec is on Eastern Time and observes DST. However, there are three exceptions, all of which are legally accommodated by the province's Time Act of 2006:

In the early 20th century, Montreal became one of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance.[11] On December 5, 2005, Quebec added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.[14]

Saskatchewan

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Main article: Time in Saskatchewan

Although all of Saskatchewan is geographically within the Mountain Time Zone, the province officially observes Central Time year-round. Clocks in most of the province therefore match clocks in Winnipeg during the winter and Calgary and Edmonton during the summer. The Saskatchewan Time Act of 1966 designated the use of CST year-round for eastern Saskatchewan and gave local options for western parts of the province. Since 1972, all western regions of the province (except around Lloydminster) have opted to use CST year-round.

The city of Lloydminster, which is bisected by the Saskatchewan–Alberta boundary, and its immediate surrounding region observe Mountain Time year-round, with officially sanctioned daylight saving time, which in the summer is synchronized with the rest of Saskatchewan. That is to keep clocks on the Saskatchewan side in synchronization with those on the Alberta side since Alberta mandates the use of daylight saving time province-wide. Along the Manitoba border the small, remote Saskatchewan towns of Denare Beach and Creighton unofficially observe Central Daylight Time during the summer to keep the same time as larger neighbouring Manitoba communities.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ National Research Council (August 5, 2020). "Time zones and daylight saving time". Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Wiseman, Nelson (1994). "In Search of Manitoba's Constitutional Position, 1950–1990". Journal of Canadian Studies. 29 (3): 85–107. doi:10.3138/jcs.29.3.85. ISSN 0021-9495. S2CID 142488370.
  3. ^ Government of Yukon (March 4, 2020). "Yukon to end seasonal time change". Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Time to change your clocks – but why?". Northern Ontario Travel. March 8, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "10 things you didn't know about the Daylight Saving time change".
  6. ^ a b c "Some interesting facts about daylight time". CBC News.
  7. ^ "5 Things You Never Knew About Daylight Saving Time". markhampubliclibrary.ca. March 14, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ The Great Daylight Saving Time Controversy Google Books
  9. ^ June 4, 1916: Hamilton first city in Canada to go on Daylight Saving Time Hamilton Spectator
  10. ^ a b "Daylight Saving Time 2021 in Canada". timeanddate.com. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Doane, Doris Chase (March 5, 1972). "Time Changes in Canada and Mexico". American Federation of Astrologers – via Google Books.
  12. ^ a b "Time Act". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Province Introduces Legislation that Would Extend Daylight Saving Time in Manitoba Archived July 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (The Official Time Amendment Act Archived May 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine,The Official Time Act Archived November 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine)
  14. ^ a b "Bill no. 2 : Legal Time Act". Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  15. ^ "An Act to Amend the Time Uniformity Act" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2006.
  16. ^ "Changes to daylight saving time in New Brunswick in 2007 (05/12/23)". Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved May 18, 2006.
  17. ^ Alberta sees the light with a timely announcement
  18. ^ Daylight Saving Time Regulations Archived April 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ a b "New Daylight Saving Time Takes Effect in 2007". Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2006.
  20. ^ "Nova Scotia to Change Daylight Saving Time". Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  21. ^ Yukon To Adopt Extended Daylight Saving Time Starting March 2007 Archived October 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ "An Act Respecting Standard Time and Daylight Time in the Province". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Nunavut News/North "Nunavut to follow new seasonal time standard"". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  24. ^ Atlantic Canada premiers to discuss possibility of permanent daylight time CTV Atlantic
  25. ^ Reaburn, Adam (February 21, 2015). "Fort Nelson to change time one last time this March". Energetic City. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "C.C.S.M. C. O30".
  27. ^ "Visitor Guide to Eureka" (PDF). Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  28. ^ "Bill 214, Time Amendment Act, 2020". Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  29. ^ "Hansard Transcript, Legislative Assembly of Ontario, October 7, 2020". October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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