Daylight Saving Time ends soon and here's when Ontario clocks 'fall back'

It's almost time to "fall back" again as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end across Ontario.

After months of later summer sunsets, we'll soon be getting an extra hour of glorious sleep, but the trade-offs will be earlier sunsets and less evening daylight.

Daylight Saving Time officially ends on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 a.m., local time, when clocks will roll back one hour to 1 a.m. Because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the time change means that anyone still partying into the early hours of Sunday will technically get an extra hour to keep all the festivities going.

Your phone, computer, and other connected devices should update to the new time automatically, although clocks on appliances like microwaves and stoves usually need to be changed manually.

On Oct. 31, the city is expected to see sunrise at 7:52 a.m., and sunset at 6:09 p.m., according to timeanddate.com. After the clocks fall back, the sunrise on Nov. 1 will come earlier at 6:53 a.m., while the sunset will arrive much earlier at 5:08 p.m.

By Nov. 8, Toronto sunsets will start happening before 5 p.m., and unfortunately, it won't be until early to mid-January that the city will start seeing sunsets after 5 p.m. again.

Given that there are plenty of people who are less than thrilled about adjusting their clocks twice a year, there has been movement in other jurisdictions toward making Daylight Saving Time permanent, which potentially puts pressure on Ontario to reconsider its own rules.

Earlier this month, Manitoba's government announced that the province would remain on Daylight Saving Time permanently, meaning its residents won't have to turn their clocks back on Nov. 1 this year.

"Permanent daylight saving time is good for our health, good for business and good for parents," said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew. "For families, especially those with young kids, that one-hour shift can disrupt sleep and routines for days. This change means one less adjustment families have to deal with each spring and fall. That's why this November, your clocks won't be changing."

Manitoba joins several other provinces and territories that have adopted or expressed commitment to establishing permanent time, including Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, and Yukon.

Although many Ontario officials have also expressed interest in ending the twice-yearly clock change, Premier Doug Ford has maintained that any formal legislative changes would depend on other nearby jurisdictions making the switch as well.

Back in 2020, Ontario passed Bill 214, which would allow the province to scrap the ritual if Quebec and New York State also made the move.

South of the border, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in a 308-117 vote last July, which would put the U.S. on permanent Daylight Saving Time. The bill, which garnered bipartisan support, pointed to potential benefits of making the switch, including fewer disruptions to sleep patterns and more consistent school schedules and daily routines.

Meanwhile, opponents of the bill argued that darker winter mornings could present hazardous conditions for drivers.

The legislation remains stalled in the U.S. Senate, despite repeated calls from President Donald Trump for senators to act. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to leave D.C. again in early October and remain out of session until after the November midterm elections, leaving only a narrow window for changes before this year's clock change.

For now, this means that you should still plan on setting your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Halloween night, and enjoying that extra hour of sleep on Nov. 1.