Is it time to do away with Daylight Saving Time?

Do you enjoy springing your clock forward or falling back in the fall?

Since I was elected in 2015, my colleagues and I in the NDP have had Albertans reach out to us twice a year asking us to stop changing our clocks. I’ve been hearing from parents, young families, teachers, employers and working Albertans. That’s why I’m proposing a private member’s bill which could repeal Daylight Saving Time and introduce a consistent year-round time in Alberta.

But it’s important to make sure that I hear from communities across the province - that Albertans can share their ideas so I understand what we want moving forward. I’ve already heard from tens of thousands of Albertans on this important issue, including farmers, families with young children, seniors, and various other stakeholders.

Research has shown that many of the purported benefits of DST are actually myths. Energy consumption may actually increase with modern energy usage habits as a result of the time change. We may see greater rates of workplace injuries, and families with young children, especially in my community of Edmonton-South West, are often adversely affected by changing our clocks. Changing the clocks can disrupt the routine of young families, and we all know that grumpy children can lead to grumpy parents.

There have been many attempts made in the past to change the practice of switching our clocks twice a year. In March 2015, a petition drafted by Ruby Kassian of Vegreville was tabled in the legislature. It asked the government to repeal the Daylight Saving Time Act- something my colleague Jessica Littlewood, the MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, has been extremely passionate about. A similar petition was tabled about two months ago, drafted by Verner Thompson of Mannville.

I want to thank all Albertans who have already taken the time to reach out to me, my office, or their local MLA to provide this valuable feedback. I appreciate your ideas and thoughts, and we will keep all of that feedback in mind as we move forward. 

If you want your voice heard, please let your local MLA know your thoughts so they can bring them forward when the Bill is being debated in the Alberta Legislature.