doug — off the record

I thought this was kind of big news yesterday.

B.C. officially ends time changes and adopts single time zone

Thanks, Google Gemini.

TL;DR from the B.C. website.

• B.C. will adopt permanent, year-round daylight saving time after clocks shift forward an hour on Sunday, March 8, 2026
• People and businesses will have eight months to prepare for the elimination of the next time change, previously scheduled for Nov. 1, 2026
• Eliminating twice-yearly time changes reduces disruptions for families, simplifies scheduling and provides an extra hour of evening light during the winter months

As long as I can remember, this has been a discussion that happens twice a year. Until this Sunday, Saskatchewan had been the only province in the country that didn’t change their clocks.

Put your hand up if you remember this from school.

“Spring Forward, Fall Back”

The rationale that I recall was that it was good for farmers. It always seemed counter-intuitive that Saskatchewan didn’t change. There are lots of farmers there.

The difference between the two times – as summarised by Google Gemini?

I honestly have never used “Winter Time” or “Summer Time”.

As a kid, the only significant impact was making sure that we didn’t miss church – or show up an hour too early or too late. The Minister became the most important person in town on those Sunday mornings. He had to get it right.

As an adult, it impacts me as I’m charged with the task of walking through our house and changing the clocks. It’s got easier over the years with internet connected devices but we still have a stove, microwave oven, and two alarm clocks that need to be adjusted manually. We have a “Smart TV” that isn’t so smart and sometimes just changes the time in the guide for no apparent reason. Then, there’s the time on the clocks in the cars. That’s typically the last thing that gets changed. Nerdy me is actually a bit excited for this weekend as we have a new car with Android Auto. Will it change automatically?

To be honest, all of the above aren’t problems – just inconveniences. It would truly be a problem solved if the location of the time adjustment settings was the same. Right now, they’re all different and probably remembering (or honestly just poking around until I find it) how to change it brings value to our marriage.

Where the time changing really is significant clicked in as a teacher. Of all the excuses for not doing homework or yawning in class, this one had a semi-realistic rationale. An hour seemed to be a big, big thing to the teenage mind. With any luck, it was only an issue for a day or two and a week at the worst. And, as much a challenge as changing clocks at home was, my heart went out to the caretakers who had the task of making sure that all the clocks in the school changed! So much for connected clocks.

Then, there was the whole thing about correcting “Daylight Savings Time”.

So, why hasn’t Ontario seen the (day)light and made the change?

The only reason that I can understand is that we need agreement with New York State and the Province of Quebec to make it happen. Apparently, we have the law in place if they’d just get their act together with us. Living where I live, I feel a little sorry that Michigan isn’t part of the deal. Personally, I don’t know why Ontario can’t just take the lead on this and let the others join us.

And, if we decide that daylight is no longer a determining factor, what about our friends who live in the Central Time Zone in Northwest Ontario? Is this a time to get the whole province on the same page – time-wise? Do car clocks switch automatically if your daily commute takes you into a different time zone?

It can be confusing. Even Google Gemini didn’t get it right the first time.

So, the teacher in me sent it back to redo its work.

On a serious note, the clock changing activity did remind us to change the batteries in the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. What will remind us now?

I’ll admit that this post ended up having a mind of its own. Did you stick with me until the end?

Personally, I think that Saskatchewan and British Columbia are on to something. There may have been a time and a place to roll the clocks forward or backward. I don’t think the activity makes compelling sense now.

Your thoughts?

Oh, and change those batteries.