It’s that time of year again as British Columbians will be losing an hour of sleep as the clocks move forward on Sunday for daylight saving time.
As the approaching date looms, it has sparked debate in Victoria as the B.C. government passed legislation in 2019, pledging to end the practice.
However, that legislation has yet to be enacted, which has prompted comments from the Opposition House leader Todd Stone on Thursday.
“Instead of springing forward to act on permanent daylight saving time, the premier is falling back on tired excuses,” he said.
“It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. Is the premier going to deliver real change or is he going to keep sleeping on the job?”
Eby has been steadfast in his approach, as he said the government is still waiting to see if a number of U.S. west coast states will join the province in abolishing daylight saving time.
“We are going to work in partnership with the United States, in particular the states down the western coast and Yukon, to move in sync,” Eby said in a question period Thursday morning.
“I think all of us will be delighted to see the back end of daylight savings time.”
The U.S. bill to authorize the change south of the border has been repeatedly thwarted, but it is now back in play.
Last week, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow daylight saving time to be made permanent.
Rubio said in a statement that the “ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid,” and that ending the practice has bipartisan support.
Eby says B.C.’s close integration with U.S. gives rise to legitimate business concerns about being in a different time zone, and the need to stay aligned is the “sole reason” the time change hasn’t already been abolished.
—With files from Canadian Press.