Leader of the Conservative Party of BC John Rustad has introduced a bill that would see an end to biannual clock changes in the province.
Most parts of B.C. change clocks to move forward an hour in the spring, and move back an hour in the fall.
The legislature gave the first reading to Bill M206, the Interpretation (Pacific Daylight Time) Amendment Act, on March 13.
Rustad said the vast majority of residents were tired of changing clocks twice a year.
“This leads to sleep deprivation. It has led to health issues, car accidents. There are many issues associated with this,” he said when introducing the bill to the legislature.
He noted that the NDP government had already passed a bill to implement the change in 2019 but had not enacted it.
Related Stories
“This bill was passed, but it was never implemented,” Rustad said.
He said the changes associated with his bill will mean B.C. residents will not see another time change.
“I think it’s worth noting that when asked why this bill was never enacted, it was a statement that they’re waiting for the Americans to take the lead. It is high time that we take the lead in British Columbia for British Columbians as opposed to following the Americans’ lead,” Rustad said.
However, Premier David Eby has recently said that the issue was not a priority for his government.
“Trust me, I am as sympathetic as the next guy to kids that have trouble adjusting to time changes or pets or just waking up feeling like you’re an hour behind,” Eby said on March 12 during an unrelated news conference. “But in this moment, that is not government’s number one priority.”
In 2019, the B.C. government asked residents if they wanted to move to permanent daylight savings time in an online survey.
More than 220,000 people responded, with 93 percent saying they would prefer to make a change to a permanent daylight savings time rather than change clocks twice a year.
Of those who responded, 54 percent said it was “important” or “very important” for the province to align its time observance with neighbouring jurisdictions.
Three-quarters, or 75 percent, of those who wanted year-round daylight savings time cited health and wellness concerns as a reason.
The government introduced legislative amendments to allow for a change to permanent daylight savings time, but was waiting on U.S. states to make the first move.
“The change will not take effect until B.C. can maintain alignment with Washington, Oregon, California and Yukon, which are all in the process of creating or enacting similar legislation,” the government said on its website.
