Alberta will not revisit time change talks despite US ruling

The province says it has no plans to revisit changes to Daylight Saving Time in Alberta.

The provincial government confirmed that to CityNews in a statement after the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a motion to make DST permanent.

Service Alberta Press Secretary Lindsay Milligan says while it’s clear many Albertans don’t like changing their clocks twice a year, they can’t agree on whether to pick permanent daylight time or standard time.

A referendum last fall, which asked Albertans if they wanted to make daylight time permanent, was narrowly defeated. Just over 50 per cent voted against the idea.

“Given that we just held a referendum on daylight saving time we have no plans to revisit this matter at this time. We are focussed on Alberta’s economic recovery plan, creating jobs, attracting investment, and growing and diversifying the economy,” said Milligan.

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The American legislation still needs House approval and the president’s signature before any potential changes would come into effect. The earliest this could come into effect is 2023.

B.C. has passed legislation to stop changing the time twice a year, but it will not be enacted until Washington, Oregon, and California do it first.