Here's what it would take for Ontario to join B.C. in ditching Daylight Saving Time

As Ontario residents prepare to lose an hour of sleep this Sunday, March 8, as clocks spring forward for daylight saving time, the biannual ritual has once again reignited debates over whether the time change still makes sense, especially now that other provinces, such as British Columbia, have moved to scrap the practice altogether. 

While most Canadians will continue to adjust their clocks every spring and fall, British Columbia announced this week that it's preparing to make this Sunday's time change its last. 

On Monday, the province revealed that it will adopt year-round daylight saving time in an effort to improve people's overall health, reduce disruptions for families, simplify scheduling, and provide a much-needed extra hour of light during the winter months. 

"Every parent knows that changing clocks twice a year causes a significant amount of chaos on already busy lives. British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them," said Premier David Eby.

"This decision isn't just about clocks. It's about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy. I am hopeful that our American neighbours will soon join us in ending disruptive time changes." 

The B.C. government says residents and businesses will have eight months to prepare for Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks would normally be turned back, but will now stay the same. Along with a public engagement on time observance (which saw 93 per cent of respondents supporting year-round daylight saving time), British Columbia says its decision was based on the many benefits associated with ending seasonal time change. 

These benefits, supported by evidence, include fewer disruptions to sleeping patterns, school schedules, and daily routines, as well as more leisure time and participation in outdoor activities. 

Neighbouring U.S. states, including Washington, Oregon, and California, are also in the process of enacting legislation to ditch the twice-annual ritual.

Other provinces, including Ontario, have also expressed their desire to get rid of the practice, although Premier Doug Ford has stressed that any legislative changes would depend on New York State, which would also have to end its seasonal time change. 

Back in 2020, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 214, which maintains that Ontario will scrap the practice if New York and Quebec do the same. Last year, Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde referred to the practice as an "unnecessary barrier" and tabled a private member's bill to end daylight saving time. 

In New York, several pieces of legislation to make daylight saving time permanent have been introduced, although all of them have yet to pass. 

"Studies show that it is the transition out of Daylight Saving Time, which leads to an increase in car accidents, causes more on-site work incidents, and disrupts the health of all who are subject to this time change,"  reads a bill sponsored by New York State Senator Joseph Griffo in 2023.

Last year, U.S. Senator Rick Scott also reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act in an effort to "lock the clock" and scrap seasonal time changes across the country, although the legislation has repeatedly stalled in Congress due to polarizing views on the practice. 

In Canada, B.C. now joins Yukon, which scrapped the biannual ritual in March 2020, as well as the majority of Saskatchewan, which keeps its clocks the same throughout the year.