Biannual Clock Changing Comes to An End

On October 18, Albertans will be asked whether they want to abolish the biannual clock changing or keep it. If the majority of the votes say that Albertans favor ending the twice a year tradition, that means the province will observe permanent Daylight Saving Time, which is the summer hours. This means there would be more daylight hours in the afternoon.

If you are living in Alberta and will vote on the 18th, the question on the ballot is as follows: "Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round daylight saving time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year?"

Many people believe that the biannual clock changing would come to an end soon based on the 2019 survey in which 91% of Albertans favored abolishing the said practice. However, there is still a possibility that voting to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time will not provide the clock-changing relief as people expect.

Michael Antle, a chrono-biologist from the University of Calgary, says, "Dawn in December in Calgary is around 8:30 or just a tiny bit later. So now it's going to dawn at 9:30 in our major cities, and even later, in other places." That means a permanent Daylight Saving Time could worsen the situation. "In places like Grand Prairie, it is going to be 10:20 in the morning when the sun rises," he added.