Good news, Canada: In just a few weeks, millions of us will set our clocks forward, marking the beginning of daylight saving time for 2024.
Daylight saving time will begin this year on Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m. local time. While we might lose an hour of sleep by “springing forward,” it also marks the day when we’ll begin to notice those longer daylight hours.
Canadians in most time zones should set their manual devices ahead an hour on Saturday, Mar. 9 before they head to bed. Smartphones, smartwatches and other digital and wi-fi enabled devices, however, will likely automatically adjust while you’re sleeping. (It doesn’t hurt to check them when you wake up on Mar. 10, just to be sure!)
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is the eight-month-long period between March and November when the majority of the country adjusts their clocks.
By “springing forward” in March, we allow for more daylight in the spring and summer months. By “falling back” in November, we allow more daylight in the mornings.
Not all Canadians adhere to daylight saving time. Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, and some parts of Quebec, Ontario and B.C. stay on standard time all year round.
The first documented cases of daylight saving adopted in the world happened right here in Canada. The small towns of Port Arthur and Fort William — which would eventually merge to become Thunder Bay, Ont. — adopted daylight saving on May 1, 1908.
One resident, John Hewitson, wanted to give working folk an extra hour of daylight for after-work leisure activities.
Several years later, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary were the first international countries to enact daylight saving time in 1916, as a way to save coal and fuel during the First World War.
Why is daylight saving time controversial?
While the argument behind the clock shift is to maximize sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere over the warmer months and add an hour of sunlight to the end of the workday, the benefits of this change are controversial, and some argue the shift can have measurable impacts on health.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine, too, previously reported there is also the risk of an eight percent jump in car crashes the day after a time change.
Additionally, Canadian researchers warn that daylight saving, and switching the clocks twice a year, can contribute to a phenomenon known as “social jet lag,” where people suffer from disrupted sleep and sleep debt, mental and physical fatigue, metabolism issues and more.
And while experts agree that the change in the springtime hits us harder, there are also downsides to the change in the fall.
With less evening light and shortened days, there is a tendency to be less active in the evening, Wendy Hall, a B.C. nurse and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, told Global News in 2021.
The return to standard time in the fall has also been linked to depression and seasonal affective disorder, where people often feel more depressed because of shorter exposure to daylight, Hall said.
The changing of the clocks has been a topic of debate in Canada for many years, with provincial politicians in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario wanting to scrap the century-old practice.
Any province wanting to scrap daylight saving has faced delays in putting new practices into place or is waiting for American states in the same time zones to pull the trigger.
— With files from Global News’ Kevin Neilsen, Saba Aziz and Ahmar Khan
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
