The consultation clock supposedly kept ticking as early as last Wednesday on the future of twice-annual time shifts in Alberta.
Then on Monday it stopped with word that the government has reached a decision.
The province’s next actions on the file will be legislation to make Alberta a permanently sprung-forward province.
Premier Danielle Smith had already said publicly her preference is permanent daylight time because of the extra light it provides during typical waking hours.
The decision comes even though experts lean towards permanent standard time, saying it more naturally aligns with the biological clocks that regulate human bodies.
Just last week Dale Nally, the minister of Service Alberta and red tape reduction, had told the legislature: “Our next steps are going to be guided by what (Albertans) have to say.”
He continued during a question period exchange: “We’re taking our time, we’re looking at the facts and we’re listening to Albertans. We’ll have more to say about what we hear in the near future.”
The province had been discussing a move to permanent daylight time with industry and key stakeholders. The Alberta government Web site still said Tuesday morning that results from that engagement were under review.
Assuming legislation here succeeds, Alberta and B.C. will both be on permanent daylight time, meaning it will always be an hour later in the day here than it is in B.C. The clock in Alberta will be in lockstep with Saskatchewan, where permanent Central Standard Time is in place.
Nally, the UCP member representing Morinville-St. Albert, said Albertans have been dealing with one-hour shifts to and from standard time for five decades.
The province held a plebiscite on the issue in 1971, resulting in regular spring-forwards to daylight time beginning in 1972. But clock change chatter resumed in 1987 and 2017, and then again in 2019 during a public consultation, and in 2021 when a referendum question barely upheld the status quo.
The 1972 move ended regional flirtations with daylight time dating from both world wars, when it was introduced to conserve fuel and energy.
“We’re committed to taking a fresh look at the research and what we’re hearing directly from Albertans,” Nally told the legislature.
Peter Singh, the UCP member for Calgary-East, said the shift “continues to be a concern for many Albertans.”
He said that research and public feedback highlight impacts on sleep, workplace productivity, road safety and health, especially after spring-forward.
Albertans expect decisions based on evidence, consultation and “economic considerations,” Singh said.
