It appears that Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is expected to permanently make the switch to daylight saving time.
Government sources have confirmed to Global News that making the move permanent will be part of an omnibus bill that will be tabled in the Alberta Legislature later this week.
The confirmation comes after Premier Danielle Smith said in an interview with Postmedia that the move to daylight saving time this spring was the last time clocks in Alberta would be changed, meaning the clocks will not be falling back an hour in the fall, nor will they be moved ahead an hour next spring.
The legislation to make the move permanent would still need to be voted on in the Legislature, but judging by Smith’s comments to Postmedia, it appears that is just a formality.
Going forward, this means Alberta would be on the same time as Saskatchewan year-round.
Alberta clocks would also be an hour later than British Columbia, where the switch to daylight saving time was already made permanent when B.C. residents moved their clocks forward an hour on March 8, 2026.
The move also comes five years after Albertans voted in a province-wide referendum, by the narrowest of margins — 50.2 per cent to 49.8 per cent — to reject the idea of moving permanently to daylight saving time.
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However, following B.C.’s decision to make the switch permanent this spring, Premier Smith said her government would once again consider abandoning the practice of changing clocks twice per year.
The province traditionally “springs forward” on the second Sunday in March and “falls back” on the first Sunday in November.
However, according to the Pew Research Center, only about a third of the world’s countries follow daylight saving time. The vast majority of them are in Europe.
A survey by the provincial government in 1991 also showed that 91 per cent of surveyed Albertans were in favour of moving permanently to daylight saving time.
If the legislation passes and Alberta sticks to daylight saving time yar-round, the province would also be on the same time as Manitoba in winter and one hour behind Manitoba in summer.
However, that could change as Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has recently mused about going on one clock year-round.
The change would mean much of Ontario and Quebec would be one hour ahead in winter and two hours ahead in summer.
Most of the Atlantic provinces would be two hours behind in winter and three hours back in the summer.
Alberta adopted daylight saving time in 1971 after a referendum on the subject passed with 61.5 per cent of voters in favour.
Since then, politicians across the spectrum have periodically petitioned for changes.
The former NDP government explored doing away with daylight time in 2017, but did not go ahead in part over concerns about the impact on airline schedules and starting times for NHL games.
With files from The Canadian Press.
This is SOOO frustrating! We already voted NO to this because tons of us that actually knew winter hours are “standard time” don’t want an extra hour of darkness in the already dreary winter mornings. Too many people don’t actually know which time is witch! Keep standard time all year around and that’s fine. In winter an extra hour of morning darkness and icy driving in the roads is going to be terrible. In summer it is much easier to stay asleep to black out curtains than it is to make yourself go to sleep when it’s still light and hot out!
Just leave it alone the way it always was, at Standard Time. Let those who dislike going to work shortly before the sun comes up get over themselves. We’re living a Belly Aching Wuss Society.
Corrie; You are so wrong. The choice was status quo, or stay on daylight savings time permanently. The vote was overwhelming no to daylight savings time permanent.
We asked Smith to get rid of the nasty daylight losing time. She held a referendum, but failed to ask the question “do we want to get rid of the Daylight Savings time?’
She tried to get us to vote for permanent daylight losing time, and we refused. – so now she is ramming it down our throats. Same as every other plan she is demanding.
Please let us vote her and UCP out…
Omnibus bill. So she really doesn’t want citizen opinion. She is also quoted saying “I’m sure they won’t be shy in letting us know.” Regarding disliking sticking to Daylight savings. The referendum failed due to being permanent Savings Time. If you asked for permanent Standard Time you would probably see a 70% majority of YES.
But yes don’t ask the citizens when the answer doesn’t fit your narrative or secret string pullers.
The vote we had in Alberta was to permanently stay on Mountain Standard Time, not Daylight Savings Time.
Wow! It is so great living in a democracy where we have absolutely no rights. Thanks Aunty Danni!
Maybe it works for your two hour work days for others, winter will be more punishing.
Oh, I get it, Trump called and told you…… got it!
Yes, why no referendum on daylight savings vs Standard time? I think people will have strong opinions come December/January when it’s still dark late morning. Can you imagine how dark it will be in the north (Grande Prairie/Peace River)that time of year?
The switch should be to permanent Mountain Standard Time NOT Daylight Savings Time. Why have a referendum if the government is just going to do it anyway.