B.C. still waiting on U.S. for permanent daylight time
Four years after British Columbians voiced overwhelming support for scrapping seasonal time changes, the path to permanent daylight time in B.C. remains littered with roadblocks.
It was March 2019 when then premier John Horgan first floated the idea to his U.S. counterparts of ending the practice of moving clocks ahead by an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall.
Horgan wrote to the governors of Washington, Oregon and California to gauge their interest in a unified permanent daylight time on the West Coast. The premier of Yukon was also on board if B.C. decided to make the move.
With the tacit support of B.C.'s neighbours secured, the provincial government surveyed residents on the matter, yielding 93 per cent support for ending the seasonal time changes.
"The people of British Columbia have spoken and their collective voice has come through loudly and clearly," Horgan said in the fall of 2019.
"When we spring forward next year in 2020, that will be the last time we do it."
U.S. SUPPORT FOR PERMANENT DAYLIGHT TIME
Five months later, the premier reaffirmed his support for implementing year-round daylight time, but said the ultimate authority on the decision was with the U.S. Congress.
"The likelihood of a Congressional approval of this is even less today than it was in the fall," Horgan said.
And that's where things largely remain today as British Columbians prepare to once again move their clocks ahead this Sunday.
Last week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida reintroduced his Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would end seasonal time changes, after a previous version passed the Senate in March 2022 but failed to make it to a vote in the House of Representatives.
"This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid," Rubio said in a statement announcing the bill's reintroduction on Thursday. "Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done."
B.C. REMAINS COMMITTED TO ENDING TIME CHANGES
A spokesperson for the B.C. Ministry of the Attorney General tells CTV News the province remains committed to permanent daylight time, saying British Columbians have provided "as clear a message as we could hope to receive" on the issue.
"British Columbians told us that it’s important to maintain alignment with our neighbours in Washington, Oregon, and California," the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
"The province is committed to ensuring B.C.’s economy and businesses aren’t negatively impacted by a permanent shift to daylight saving time. That's why the move to permanent DST is planned to be brought into effect at a time that maintains alignment with our neighbours."
The statement said the province is closely watching the return of the Sunshine Protection Act in the U.S.
"We continue to watch how things play out in the U.S. so we can make this change together to keep us in the same time zone as our neighbours," the ministry said.
Speaking to reporters in Victoria on Wednesday, B.C. Premier David Eby affirmed his government's commitment to ending the seasonal time changes.
"I think all of us will be delighted to see the backend of daylight savings time," Eby said from his office at the B.C. legislature.
"There were business concerns about us being on a different time zone from our major trading partner to the south, which is our sole reason for pause here – to make sure we don’t have unintended economic impacts," he added. "Otherwise, we're very much looking forward to getting rid of daylight savings time."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.