Last spring forward for B.C. as it moves to permanent daylight time

British Columbia's major southern population centres will be facing winter sunrises around 9 a.m. — and around 9:30 a.m. in the north — after the decision to adopt year-round daylight time, springing forward by one hour this Sunday for the last time.

Premier David Eby said Monday the decision is about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy.

"British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them,” Eby said. 

B.C.'s transition to the Pacific time zone — as opposed to the current Pacific standard and Pacific daylight zones — will put it in the same time zone as the Yukon. It will match Alberta from November to March.

The province will align with California, Washington, and Oregon from March to November, but be an hour ahead outside those months.

The change means that on the shortest day of the year, Dec. 21, the sun will not rise in Victoria until 9:03 a.m. In Prince George, the winter solstice sunrise will be at 9:28 a.m.

Eby says people and businesses will have eight months to prepare for the elimination of the next time change, which had been set for Nov. 1.

He said he’s hopeful B.C.’s American neighbours will join the province in ending the disruptive time changes. 

Attorney General Niki Sharma said they've heard from an overwhelming majority of people in B.C. who want to end the back-and-forth of seasonal time changes.

“This shift offers more stability, supports public well-being and reduces twice-yearly, unnecessary disruptions to the routines of parents, shift workers, small businesses, pet owners and so many more," Sharma said. 

She said she looks forward to enjoying an extra hour of sunlight after work and school for many winters to come. 

The pending change fulfils a promise first made in 2019, when Eby, then attorney general, tabled legislation to make daylight time permanent to end the practice of changing clocks twice a year.

But B.C. conditioned that change on Washington State, Oregon and California also making the switch, which has not happened because the relevant legislation remains in Congressional limbo.

"The situation on the ground has changed since 2019," Eby said, when asked about government's decision to move ahead without waiting on the U.S. states.

"We are able to be a little bit more selfish in our decisions for what is best for British Columbians. It's clear that British Columbians know what is best for them. They want to have that extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day."

Parts of the business community, however, are criticizing the change. 

Bridgitte Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, said government's "unilateral change" marks an "unwelcome distraction that will make it more difficult to attract and retain businesses" in British Columbia.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward