The shift to permanent daylight saving in Manitoba has made for a darker commute for some students, raising safety concerns from divisions. The morning walk to school has become a bit more stressful for Winnipeg parent Sara Gerullis. “For my other daughter, who is in middle school, we’ve had to walk some early mornings at like 7 o’clock in the morning, and it’s been very, very dark,” she said as she dropped her youngest daughter off at school Thursday. “We had to wear our reflective gear outside.” With Manitoba’s permanent daylight saving time, the sun is rising around 8:25 a.m. instead of 7:25 a.m. In the dead of winter, the sun won’t be up until around 9:24 a.m. That’s prompted several school divisions to issue safety reminders to parents and caregivers. The St. James-Assiniboia School Division said the later sunrise means most students will be walking or commuting to school in pre-dawn light for a portion of the fall and winter. “Students are coming to school in low-light conditions,” said Assistant Supt. Jaime Siska, who noted school starts around 8:20 a.m. to 9 a.m. The division provided these safety tips for students’ walk in the dark: Siska said the division is also investing in some new equipment for crossing guards. “We’re buying some LED batons so that we can enhance the lighting conditions for them, for the patrols,” she said. As for the Winnipeggers behind the wheel, Siska said it’s shared responsibility. “We just ask that they just stay aware and alert out there,” she said. “You know, it’s low light. It can happen at any time of the day, so we encourage that at all times, but just be a little bit extra during the morning times.” Still, Gerullis said she’s hesitant to send her daughter to school on her own. “She’d have to be wearing really reflective gear, I think, to be safe because it’s super dark outside at 7:15 (a.m.) for sure.”
