POLL — Clocks spring forward Sunday. Should we join B.C. and stop time changes? | story | Kids News

B.C., Yukon and Saskatchewan are done going back and forth

⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️

• Many Canadians are about to change their clocks an hour ahead this weekend. 
• British Columbia is doing so for the last time.
• It’s joining other parts of Canada and doing away with the practice. 
• Experts agree that changing the clocks is hard on teens.
• Keep reading to find out why they say B.C. should be doing it differently. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Get ready to spring forward.

This Sunday at 2 a.m., most Canadians will turn their clocks forward one hour, losing an hour of sleep in the process for daylight time . 

For British Columbia, however, it will be the last time most residents ever do.

That’s because the province announced it will switch to daylight time permanently. 

Although experts say there are plenty of good reasons to make this change, scientists say B.C. is doing it backwards. 

Why B.C. is moving to daylight time forever

B.C. Premier David Eby said the time change causes chaos and is especially hard on kids and families.

“British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them,” Eby said in a news release on Monday.

The change means that in the winter, kids will have an extra hour of sunlight after school.

Eby also said it would benefit the economy and help the well-being of British Columbians.

Although daylight time offers an extra hour of sun at night, it also steals an hour of sun from the morning. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)

Indeed, many Canadians have said that they aren’t a fan of the clocks switching back and forth each year and would prefer sticking to one set time.

In a 2019 survey, for example, 93 per cent of B.C. residents said they’d rather stick to daylight time permanently. 

Scientists also say that the clock changes aren’t great for us. 

That’s because they force sudden shifts in our biological rhythms that are hard to adjust to, said Dr. Michael Mak, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Ontario.

“This one-hour change leads to several days — sometimes weeks — of poorer sleep and reduced alertness,” he told CBC Kids News. 

He said that those effects are linked to a higher risk of car collisions, as well as negative effects on physical and mental health in certain people.

B.C. will join Saskatchewan and Yukon as the only provinces and territories in Canada that no longer do clock changes.

There is one difference, though.

Saskatchewan and Yukon have stuck to standard time, which we switch to in the fall when clocks “fall back.” 

Scientists say Yukon and Saskatchewan have it right and choosing daylight time isn’t the right move. 

Why sleep scientists say standard time is better

If we stop springing forward and falling back, which time do we stick to — daylight time or standard time? 

In other terms, what’s better: more sun in the evening or the morning?

Although some people say they’d prefer what B.C. is doing for extra hours of sun in the evening, the consensus among sleep scientists is that standard time is better for us.

Proponents of daylight time say they’d prefer the extra hours of sun in the evening, but scientists say standard time better matches our biology. (Image credit: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) 

They say that the sun’s rising and setting during standard time is more closely matched to the body’s natural rhythm. 

“[With daylight time], we will be waking up to less morning sunlight, which is not good for your mood and driving safety — and more evening light, which is counterproductive for better sleep at night,” said Mak. 

Historically, that lack of sun in the morning has been met with regret. 

Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom have all switched to permanent daylight time in the past, but it never lasted that long.

According to University of Calgary psychology Prof. Michael Antle, they all switched back after dealing with very dark winter mornings.

 “When they saw what daylight time was like in the winter, they realized, ‘Woah, that was a bad choice,’” Antle said. 

For certain northern communities in Canada, like Edmonton, for example, adopting daylight time would mean that the sun wouldn’t rise until 9:50 a.m. in December. 

According to Patricia Lakin-Thomas, a professor at York University in Toronto, Ontario, who runs the school’s clock lab, that’s an issue

“Our biological clocks are reset by the sun and we need bright light in the morning to do that resetting.” 

Without that morning reset from the sun, she said our bodies experience more stress, which can increase the rates of chronic disease.

“Overall, scientists agree that standard time is better for us.” 

The Ministry of Attorney General told CBC Kids News the province made the decision based on the 2019 survey mentioned above.

They also said several communities B.C. already observe permanent daylight time, and this change will bring the majority of B.C. into alignment.

Have more questions? Want to tell us how we’re doing? Use the “send us feedback” link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

With files from Cameron MacCuish/CBC News