As the vibrant colors of fall take over and the days become shorter, Canadians are reminded that daylight saving time (DST) is nearing its annual end. On the night of Saturday, November 2, 2024, most Canadians will set their clocks back an hour before heading to bed, as DST officially ends in the early hours of Sunday, November 3. This time change, known as the “fall back,” provides an extra hour of sleep and marks the shift toward shorter days and colder weather, setting the tone for the long winter months ahead.
While DST may be a familiar ritual for most Canadians, there’s a growing conversation about the future of this practice. Every year, more people and even some provinces debate whether the twice-yearly clock adjustment should be abolished. In some parts of the country, including Yukon and much of Saskatchewan, DST has already been abandoned, and residents remain on standard time throughout the year. However, for the rest of the country, the time change remains a constant – and for now, it seems likely to continue.
The idea of switching to permanent daylight-saving time has been gaining momentum for years. Ontario, in particular, has taken significant steps toward making the change. In 2020, the Ontario legislature passed the Time Amendment Act, a private member’s bill that aimed to make DST permanent across the province. However, there was one crucial caveat – Ontario would only make the switch if both Quebec and the U.S. state of New York agreed to do the same. The collective nature of time zone management creates a complex challenge. Provinces and regions would need to coordinate their moves to avoid throwing off the synchronization between neighboring areas and their economic partners.
Peter Graefe, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University, pointed out that it’s a “collective action problem.” If just one province or state were to move independently, it would throw off the alignment with neighboring regions, leading to logistical and economic challenges. “If all the provinces and the states move at the same time, then we’re all in the same relationship with each other. Whereas if just certain provinces were to move, they would be off kilter with their neighboring states and provinces,” Graefe explained.
British Columbia has also been exploring a permanent switch to DST. In 2019, the province passed legislation to abolish the time change, but it left the actual date of implementation open, waiting to align with U.S. West Coast states like California, Washington, and Oregon. While those states have also passed legislation to move to permanent DST, they are similarly waiting for the U.S. federal government to pass enabling legislation. Proponents of this shift saw a glimmer of hope in 2022 when the U.S. Senate voted in favor of the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make DST permanent. Unfortunately, the bill has since stalled, leaving both American states and Canadian provinces in a state of limbo.
While the economic and logistical aspects of the time change dominate the conversation, there is also a growing body of research that questions the health impacts of DST. The primary reason for implementing DST – to maximize daylight hours during the working day – is no longer universally accepted as beneficial. While the idea behind DST was to provide an extra hour of evening sunlight during the warmer months, the shift back to standard time in the fall can cause disruptions to people’s internal body clocks, leading to both physical and mental health issues.
For instance, a report published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health earlier this year found that the spring switch to DST in March causes significant disturbances to Canadians’ circadian rhythms. The report noted that “the potential one-hour loss of sleep can contribute to the immediate negative impact of DST on daytime functioning, physical and mental health issues, as well as reduced overall performances.” In Finland, researchers have linked DST to a seven percent increase in the risk of heart attacks and strokes immediately following the time change. These findings have only added fuel to the argument that DST may be more harmful than helpful.
As the debate continues, many Canadians look to their provincial and federal leaders for guidance on whether the twice-yearly clock change will eventually become a thing of the past. For now, though, the tradition continues, and Canadians should be prepared to “fall back” on November 3. While most digital devices will automatically adjust to the new time, it’s still worth checking those clocks to avoid any mishaps the following day.
Although the conversation around DST is far from over, for the moment, Canadians will continue to move through time, literally, as they adjust to the darker winter months ahead. Whether the future will bring a permanent time system across the country depends on decisions yet to be made by policymakers at home and south of the border. In the meantime, enjoy that extra hour of sleep – it may be one of the few remaining joys of the seasonal time change.
