Spring forward: Daylight saving time begins soon in Canada & here’s what to know

Spring is around the corner and you know what that means! Daylight saving time will soon give us more much-needed sunshine here in Canada.

This year, daylight saving time begins at 2 AM on Sunday, March 12th, meaning that our clocks will “spring forward” by one hour on this date.

The good news is that we’ll get one more hour of daylight in the evening, and the sun will begin to set later as we approach the warmer months.

The bad news is that we will technically lose an hour of sleep on March 12th. So don’t be too surprised when you wake up and check the clock on Sunday!

Daylight saving time was first introduced way back in the late 19th century, according to the New York Times.

While the reason isn’t entirely clear, it’s believed that it started as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the creation of time zones to support the railroad network.

Recent Posts
These work from home jobs with unlimited vacation are hiring in Canada
Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2023 were just announced & here’s the full list

Lawmakers went ahead with the bi-annual clock change in an effort to support the economy and reduce energy use.

However, nowadays there is a growing movement to reverse this practice — the European Union, several U.S. states, and some Canadian provinces are all on board to scrap daylight saving time forever.

Last March, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that “makes daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time, effective November 5, 2023,” according to the Congress document.

Back in 2020, Quebec Premier François Legault told Global News that his government would not be opposed to scrapping daylight saving as long as the neighbouring regions were on board.

For the time being, it seems like we’ll have to keep fiddling with our clocks until official decisions are made.