As the days grow shorter and the chill of winter creeps in, Canadians once again brace for that familiar ritual turning the clocks back. Daylight saving time (DST) ends on November 2 this year, marking the return to standard time. For most of us, it’s a small inconvenience: the mild confusion, the lost sleep rhythm, and the inevitable double-check of our phones, microwaves, and car dashboards to make sure every clock agrees.
But beneath this biannual annoyance lies a growing question why are we still doing this?
For over a century, Canadians have dutifully followed the “spring forward, fall back” pattern, a relic from an era that no longer suits modern life. What began as an idea by a New Zealand entomologist in 1895 simply to give himself more daylight hours to hunt insects somehow evolved into a national routine that still governs our daily lives. Yet, in 2025, the drawbacks of DST are clearer than ever.
Medical experts have been ringing the alarm for years. The time change doesn’t just make us groggy it can actually make us sick. Studies have linked the biannual clock shift to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues. Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, a neurology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, has warned that both the immediate and long-term effects of time changes can be harmful to our health. When our sleep and circadian rhythms are disrupted, our bodies pay the price.
So why do we keep doing this to ourselves?
Momentum is finally building to stop the madness. Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde has taken up the cause, introducing a private member’s bill urging Canada to adopt a single, permanent time zone. Her proposal calls for a pan-Canadian conference involving provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to come together and end this outdated practice once and for all.
But like most things in Canadian politics, it’s complicated. Time regulation isn’t a federal responsibility; it’s up to the provinces and territories. That’s why Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta have all debated or even passed legislation to scrap DST but have hesitated to move forward alone. Ontario passed its Time Amendment Act in 2020, but is still waiting for Quebec and New York to follow suit, citing trade and travel coordination. B.C. passed its own bill in 2019 but has been stalled, waiting for California to take the lead.
It’s a frustrating limbo one where everyone agrees the system is broken, yet no one wants to move first.
Perhaps it’s time to rethink that. As B.C. Premier David Eby recently suggested, maybe the world has changed enough for provinces to stand on their own two feet even when it comes to time zones. Canada’s economic independence and technological connectivity have made it easier than ever to adapt without waiting for our neighbours to approve.
And let’s not forget: the original reasons for DST energy conservation and agricultural productivity no longer hold up. Today, our world runs on artificial light and digital systems. Farmers, ironically, were among the first to oppose DST, as shifting clocks disrupted their schedules more than it helped.
The truth is, daylight saving time has outlived its purpose. It disrupts our sleep, stresses our bodies, and complicates our lives all for a marginal, if any, benefit.
As we prepare to turn back the clocks again this November, maybe it’s time we also turn back from an outdated idea. Canada has the opportunity to lead to stop the clock chaos once and for all, and to choose health, consistency, and common sense instead.
It’s 2025. Let’s move forward by staying still.
