Golden Horseshoe prepares for Daylight saving time as parts of Canada abandons the practice

Things are about to get complicated across Canada this weekend, with some places moving their clocks back an hour, and others scrapping the change entirely.

The changes are messy — some parts of Ontario are actually aligned with Manitoba instead of the rest of the province on the matter.

In the Golden Horseshoe, clocks go back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

However, recent changes mean British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories will stay on Daylight Savings Time year-round.

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McMaster professor of political science Peter Graefe says the B.C. government first proposed the change, because they believed it would be popular — which it was — prompting Manitoba and Alberta to follow suit.

Graefe says many Canadians have long wanted to stop the back-and-forth.

“I think people are more in favour of this change in the spring when they lose an hour’s sleep than in the fall when they gain one, but I think the general idea is that it throws off people’s sleep patterns — they don’t like that,” said Graefe. “If you have young children, it can be quite jarring for a week or two in terms of their children’s bedtimes and waking up times.”

In Northwestern Ontario, the situation is more complicated. That part of the province is switching to Central Daylight Time to align with Manitoba, while the rest of Ontario will continue changing in the fall and spring.

READ MORE: Northwest Territories ending daylight saving time for permanent time standard

“That part of the province is more closely aligned with Manitoba and what’s happening in Winnipeg, and so it makes more sense to be staying on the same time as them,” said Graefe.

Graefe says not to worry, because these changes shouldn’t have a negative impact on Canadians.

“At the end of the day, so much of our time is based on what we get through our phones or other scheduling software, so I don’t think it affects too much of your ability to speak to people in different time zones,” said Graefe.

In 2020, Ontario passed legislation to end the bi-annual time changes, but are waiting on Quebec and New York State to do the same.

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Experts warn a permanent shift may come at a cost.

“It’s not good, because it affects our sleep in ways that people might, you know, in ways that people might not fully appreciate,” said Ralph Mistlberger, a psychology professor at Simon Fraser University.

Mistlberger says staying on Daylight Saving Time in the winter means darker mornings, which directly affects our circadian rhythm.

“Morning light is what prevents your circadian clock from drifting,” said Mistlberger.

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