Daylight saving time in Canada

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Canadian daylight saving time
Observed by
BeginsSecond Sunday in March
EndsFirst Sunday in November
2021 dateMarch 14 – November 7
2022 dateMarch 13 – November 6
2023 dateMarch 12 – November 5
First time1908; 113 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, the Yukon Territory abandoned seasonal time change to permanently observe year-round Mountain Standard Time (MST).[3]

In the regions of Canada where daylight saving time is used, 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, or about 65 percent of the entire year.

History[]

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]

Six 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; then Halifax, Nova Scotia; Hamilton, Ontario; and Montreal, Quebec.[8][9] 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.[9]

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[10] and Manitoba[11] – October 20, 2005
  • Quebec – December 5, 2005[12]
  • Prince Edward Island – December 6, 2005[13]
  • New Brunswick – December 23, 2005[14]
  • Alberta – February 2, 2006[15]
  • Northwest Territories – March 4, 2006[16]
  • British Columbia – March 31, 2006[17]
  • Nova Scotia – April 25, 2006[18]
  • Yukon – July 14, 2006[19]
  • Newfoundland and Labrador – November 20, 2006, but officially announced on January 18, 2007[20]
  • Nunavut – February 19, 2007[21]
  • 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[]

The provinces and territories that observe DST in Canada include:[8]

British Columbia[]

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

  • Part of the Peace River Regional District (including the communities of Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Hudson's Hope, Fort St. John, Taylor and Tumbler Ridge) is on Mountain Time and does not observe DST. This means that the region's clocks match those in Calgary and Edmonton in the winter, and match those in Vancouver in the summer. In 2014, the residents of Fort Nelson voted to stay on MST year-round also, which the community has observed since 2015.[22]
  • The East Kootenay region in southeastern British Columbia (including the communities of Cranbrook, Fernie, Sparwood, Golden and Invermere) is on Mountain Time and observes DST. This means that time in the region always matches that of Calgary; much of the region gets television by way of re-broadcasters of Calgary stations. One exception in this region is Creston, which observes MST year-round. Clocks in Creston match those in Calgary in the winter and Vancouver in the summer.

On March 31, 2006, British Columbia added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.[17]

Manitoba[]

Time in Manitoba, all of which runs on Central Time, is dictated by the province's Official Time Act.[23]

In 1916, Brandon and Winnipeg became two of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance.[9] 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.[11]

Nunavut[]

The territory of Nunavut comprises 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 with the exception of Southampton Island, including Coral Harbour, and Eureka—a permanent research station on Ellesmere Island—both of which remain on Eastern Standard Time throughout the year.[24]

On February 19, 2007, Nunavut added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.[21]

Ontario[]

Most of Ontario uses DST. Pickle Lake, Atikokan, and New Osnaburgh – three communities located within the Central Time Zone in northwestern Ontario  – 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.[9]

On October 20, 2005, Ontario added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.[10] 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; instead, it takes effect on a day to be named by proclamation of the Ontario lieutenant governor under the advisory of the province's attorney general.[25] This is intended to avoid moving to a different time zone than that used in Quebec or New York.[26]

Quebec[]

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.[9] 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.[12]

Saskatchewan[]

Although all of Saskatchewan is geographically within the Mountain Time Zone, the province officially observes Central Time year-round. This means that clocks in most of the province 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 puts it in synchronization with the rest of Saskatchewan). This is to keep clocks on the Saskatchewan side in synchronization with those on the Alberta side; 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, thereby keeping the same time as larger neighbouring Manitoba communities.

See also[]

References[]

  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.
  3. ^ Government of Yukon (March 4, 2020). "Yukon to end seasonal time change". Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Time to change your clocks – but why?". Northern Ontario Travel. March 8, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/daylight-saving-time-2020
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/daylight-saving-time-1.4567430
  7. ^ "5 Things You Never Knew About Daylight Saving Time". markhampubliclibrary.ca. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Daylight Saving Time 2021 in Canada". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Doane, Doris Chase (March 5, 1972). "Time Changes in Canada and Mexico". American Federation of Astrologers – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Time Act". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  11. ^ Jump up to: 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)
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bill n°2 : Legal Time Act". Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  13. ^ "An Act to Amend the Time Uniformity Act" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2006.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ Alberta sees the light with a timely announcement
  16. ^ Daylight Saving Time Regulations Archived April 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "New Daylight Saving Time Takes Effect in 2007". Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2006.
  18. ^ "Nova Scotia to Change Daylight Saving Time". Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  19. ^ Yukon To Adopt Extended Daylight Saving Time Starting March 2007 Archived October 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "An Act Respecting Standard Time and Daylight Time in the Province". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "Nunavut News/North "Nunavut to follow new seasonal time standard"". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  22. ^ Reaburn, Adam (February 21, 2015). "Fort Nelson to change time one last time this March". Energetic City. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  23. ^ https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/o030e.php
  24. ^ "Visitor Guide to Eureka" (PDF). Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  25. ^ "Bill 214, Time Amendment Act, 2020". Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "Hansard Transcript, Legislative Assembly of Ontario, October 7, 2020". Retrieved December 1, 2020.

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