Daylight Saving Time in Canada
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Why can’t we all just leave our clocks alone?
Most Canadians spring forward at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. Then we fall back at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November to return to Standard Time. So in spring, we always have a few people who show up for church an hour late. But they make up for it in November when they come an hour early.
But why can’t we all either change our clocks at the same time or just leave all of the clocks alone? The province of Saskatchewan has opted out of the clock changing ritual; except for the Battle River area including the city of Lloydminster where they use Mountain Time and observe daylight saving time. So from March to November, the time in most of Saskatchewan is the same as Manitoba time, and from November to March, it is the same as Alberta time. I think. Or is it the other way around? I always get mixed up when I phone people in Saskatchewan.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, daylight saving time begins at 12:01 on the second Sunday in March, and returns to standard time at 12:01 the first Sunday in November. Newfoundland and Labrador is one half hour behind the rest of the Atlantic provinces. When we watch the CBC channel on TV, we always hear the announcers say, for example: “Tune in for The Beachcombers, 7:00, 6:30 in Newfoundland.”
Why is Newfoundland a half hour early? I asked Answers.com, and they didn’t know. Does anyone know? Newfies are just different, I guess. Maybe somewhere back in their Celtic roots they set their sundials back so that they would get to the battlefields ahead of their enemies, or maybe get a half hour head start on Happy Hour at the pubs.
Why do we still have daylight saving time anyway? I seem to recall my geography teacher in high school saying that before the advent of electric lights, classrooms just had big windows, so turning the clocks back an hour meant that the sun got to school on time.
Now that most classrooms have no windows to distract students with outside goings on, we use electric lights all day anyway, so why bother with this twice yearly ritual? The first couple of years that I was teaching were back in the old days without a computerized clock and bell system. The principal had to go to each classroom twice a year to synchronize every clock.
Daylight saving time means that in the winter, if you work an 8 to 5 job, you will be going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark; and sitting in a windowless cubicle during the hours when the sun is shining. So unless you are a smoker and have to go outside for a nicotine fix, you never see the sun. (Nonsmokers are allowed to stay inside all winter.) And this is in the southern 200 mile belt of Canada where most of us live. In northern parts, they never see the sun in the winter time anyway, so they shouldn’t mind if we leave the clocks alone.
It is 1:00 a.m. on November 1 as I write this. Like most citizens of regions affected by daylight saving time changes, I am frittering away my extra hour of sleep by tapping on my computer. I should go to bed. And I will, as soon as I post this treatise of my disconcertion of this whole springing forward and falling back nonsense. I say to the Canadian government: “Leave our clocks alone! If you don’t mind, eh?”
10 Comments
personally it doesnt bother me, I was kinda greatful for the extra hour last night. Although my animals have an internal clock and woke me up anyhow.
nice one to go through
Speaking of time change and church, when we attended services in Grantsville, MD, the pastor asked his congregation not to change their watches or set their mind on the time change until they came to church. Once in church and at the end of the service he would then have them change their watches.
And, what you say to the Canadian government, I also say to the USA government.
We have all the same problems in the UK and once again there are demands to leave the clocks alone. We tried it one year but apparently it didn’t work. I can’t remember why. I enjoyed the post.
Christine
I would vote for leaving the clocks alone. No one has asked for my opinion yet. TX for your thoughts on the subject and well composed too.
Hey Karen, here in New Zealand we have started saving up the summer hours so we can have more light in the dark winer time, I was told that is how its suppose to work. Each year when the time is put back my brother threatens to ring the Government and ask where his hour have gone. Having come from a dairy farming back ground I was interested to learn that cows prefer midnight to be milked in some places and that the farmer is not getting full value for his cows milk by getting the cows in at 4 or 5 in the morning. Have a great day and I enjoyed your article very much. Thanks Hettie
I agree with the clocks it can be rather tedious eh lol Great write, very informative and interesting!!
Ours fell back too. We got an extra hours sleep that we wont lose till next year.
We fell back here in Florida. It didn’t do me any good because I still woke up at 0700 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I like to hang my clothes outside to dry and now I have to remember to bring them by 1600 or I will be getting them in the dark with the snakes. Because I sometimes work 12 hour days shifts at this time of year I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. I least I have a window to see the daylight I am missing.
Interesting article. I didn’t know about the clocks changes in Canada.;)