Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time

Ontario is set to move parts of the province’s northwest region to permanent daylight time to align with Manitoba. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford stated that there is "overwhelming consensus" among municipalities, First Nations and businesses to make the time change permanent.

Regulatory Change and Consensus

The province intends to make a regulatory change in the Time Act on Nov. 1. This change will allow regions west of the 90th meridian to align with Manitoba. Rickford noted that Manitoba’s decision to stop twice-annual clock changes placed northwestern Ontario in a difficult position, as the region sits in the central standard time zone.

Rickford outlined three options for the province. The first was shifting the northwestern region to Eastern time to align with the rest of Ontario. The second was continuing with time changes, which would leave the region out of step with both Ontario and Manitoba. The third option, which the province chose, was to not change clocks and adopt permanent daylight time.

According to Rickford, the province reached out to municipalities, businesses and First Nations to gather input. "What ended up coming back was overwhelmingly unanimous, 90 to 94 per cent from every survey," he said. While Rickford used the word "unanimous" to describe the sentiment, he specified the survey results as 90 to 94 per cent.

Political and Community Response

New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, who represents the riding of Kiiwetinoong, helped facilitate the process. His riding is home to the majority of Ontario’s remote, fly-in First Nations. Mamakwa expressed satisfaction with the outcome in a statement.

"After having brought the voices of our communities across the northwest to the table, we are happy the advocacy to observe daylight savings will be implemented permanently," Mamakwa said. "We are proud of our collaborative efforts to deliver what works for the North. We thank everyone who reached out and shared their thoughts on this important decision."

Regional Time Zone Shifts

This move follows similar decisions by other Canadian provinces. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced last month that his province would stay on daylight time year-round in the central time zone. This leaves Manitoba one hour ahead of the other Prairie provinces.

British Columbia said in March that it was moving to permanent Pacific daylight time. Alberta also switched to permanent daylight time this year, a system it calls Alberta time. This change means Alberta now has the same time as Saskatchewan year round.

Why it matters

The alignment of time zones across western and central Canada reduces confusion for businesses and communities that operate across provincial borders. By adopting permanent daylight time, Ontario’s northwest region avoids the logistical challenges of being out of sync with neighboring Manitoba, which has already eliminated seasonal clock changes.

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Sources

• theglobeandmail.com: Ontario’s northwest region to end time changes to align with Manitoba - The Globe and Mail
• globalnews.ca: Part of Ontario to move to permanent daylight time. Here’s where | Globalnews.ca
• kitchener.citynews.ca: Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time
• winnipegfreepress.com: Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time – Winnipeg Free Press
• thestar.com: Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time
• thespec.com: Ontario to move northwest regions to permanent daylight time

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.