Time may soon be up on seasonal time changes in B.C.
On an issue that has taken its time, the B.C. government is ready to spring forward with permanent daylight saving time (DST) as soon as the United States signs off on national legislation.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate turned back the hands of time by approving to get rid of the more than 100-year practice of changing the clocks twice a year.
The U.S. House of Representatives must now take the time to review the bill.
If it passes, the expectation is Washington, Oregon and California will move to permanent daylight time.
British Columbia, and the three pacific states, switched to daylight time last weekend. Those three states have already passed state laws to stop the clocks from changing yet again.
The argument to keep daylight time permanently is that it would increase light at the end of the day and is already observed eight months of the year.
On Tuesday, in a statement, B.C. Premier John Horgan’s office said British Columbians told them loud and clear they want to stop falling back and springing forward each year.
In the most popular public consultation in the province’s history, 93 per cent of people indicated support for permanent daylight time.
“For B.C. families who have just had to cope with the disruptions of changing the clocks, the U.S. Senate bill passed (Tuesday) brings us another step toward ending the time changes in our province for good,” the statement reads.
“While the bill still requires congressional approval before it can go to President Biden to sign, we’re well positioned in B.C. to do away with the time changes once and for all and move to permanent DST.”