More than 90 per cent of Albertans who responded to a government survey say they would like to stop changing their clocks twice a year and stick with Daylight Saving Time.
The results of a public survey were released by the Alberta government on Friday. The survey opened to the public in November and asked Albertans to weigh in on the future of Daylight Saving Time in the province.
According to the results, 91 per cent of the 141,000 Albertans who weighed in said they would like to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, meaning the clocks would stay put with the time that’s currently in place from March to November. This typically means more sunlight that lasts later into the evening.
“We hear those Albertans,” Premier Jason Kenney said Friday.
Kenney pointed to factors such as Yukon opting to stick with Daylight Saving Time, and Saskatchewan not taking part in the time change. British Columbia is also mulling the idea of keeping DST permanent, having introduced legislation last fall to stay on DST. The B.C. bill is in the works but has not yet been formally announced.
“I understand California is going in that direction and possibly other northwest states. So I think it’s becoming more and more obvious that our whole region in North America is shifting in that direction. I personally support the idea but we’re going to complete our consultations before making a final decision,” he said.
“We are completing a few more consultations with key industries like the aviation industry.”
Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish said in a statement it’s important to consider what other jurisdictions are doing and avoid taking actions that would “leave alberta out of sync with our neighbours.”
“As part of that process, we are continuing to have conversations with key organizations and members of the business community,” Glubish said.
“We know more and more governments are contemplating this move to permanent summer hours,” he said. “We are also actively reaching out to our partners in Eastern Canada to discuss the option of moving together in unison. We will update Albertans when decisions are made.”
Alberta has been on daylight time since 1971 and, for now, residents will have to set their clocks ahead by one hour this weekend.
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.
The clocks “spring ahead” this Sunday at 2 a.m.