Ontario's Northwest Region to Adopt Permanent Daylight Time

📅 1 day ago

Ontario's northwest region will transition to permanent daylight time to align with Manitoba, following a strong consensus among local stakeholders.

In a significant move, Ontario plans to transition parts of its northwest region to permanent daylight time, as announced by Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford. This decision aims to align with Manitoba's recent shift, which was revealed by Premier Wab Kinew last month when he stated that Manitoba would eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes, opting to remain on daylight time throughout the year. This change positions Manitoba one hour ahead of the other Prairie provinces, creating a unique situation for northwestern Ontario, which operates under central standard time.
Rickford emphasized that there was overwhelming agreement among municipalities, First Nations, and businesses regarding this time change. The province intends to amend the Time Act on November 1, allowing regions west of the 90th meridian to synchronize their clocks with Manitoba’s. He outlined three potential options that were considered: shifting the northwest region to Eastern time to match the rest of Ontario, maintaining the current clock changes but risking misalignment with Manitoba, or remaining on daylight time permanently, a choice that received unanimous support.
"The other option…we took by unanimous consensus, was to not change our clocks and go to what I’m calling Wab Kinew time," Rickford remarked, highlighting the collaborative effort that led to this decision. Following Kinew’s announcement, there was a proactive response from the northwest region, with local stakeholders quickly seeking a path forward. Surveys indicated a strong preference for the new time structure, with responses showing that 90 to 94 percent of participants favored the shift.
New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, who represents Kiiwetinoong, a riding home to many of Ontario’s remote First Nations, contributed significantly to the discussions, ensuring that community voices were heard. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, "We are happy the advocacy to observe daylight savings will be implemented permanently. We are proud of our collaborative efforts to deliver what works for the North."
The move to permanent daylight time in Ontario’s northwest follows similar decisions made by other provinces; British Columbia announced its shift to permanent Pacific daylight time in March, while Alberta also adopted a year-round daylight time earlier this year, aligning itself with Saskatchewan. This trend reflects a growing inclination among Canadian provinces to simplify timekeeping practices, potentially leading to broader implications for regional coordination and economic interactions.

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