Daylight saving ends this week in Ontario and here’s why it hasn’t changed

If you weren’t aware, the time of year has come. Yes, this week Ontario will “fall back” as daylight saving time comes to an end for the year on November 3rd! DST has sparked a lot of conversation over the years including if it should be scrapped entirely. The province hasn’t done so, despite all the chatter, and here’s why.

Daylight saving 2024

Let’s start with this year’s cycle. Ontario residents have been soaking in some extra sun since March 10th, 2024.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, while not every Canadian area recognizes DST, the ones that do will experience the fallback on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 at 2 AM local time.

This means everyone in Ontario will gain one hour and will see the sunrise and sunset earlier, therefore shortening the amount of daylight we experience until the cycle starts again in 2025.

Should DST be scrapped?

Daylight saving time has sparked a ton of talk over the years with the biggest question being, why?

Back in 2020, Ontario introduced the Time Amendment Act to get rid of the time change and keep the clocks on the same time year-round.

The province’s neighbours Quebec and the state of New York were required to do the same if Ontario wanted that act to go into effect and so far, no luck.

According to the Canadian Sleep Society, it’s something that should happen not just for our personal enjoyment, but for our health.

“Not only does DST induce sleep deprivation at its inception in the spring but it enforces later darkness during the summer, favouring delayed bedtime, social jetlag and more sleep loss. In the fall and winter seasons, the northern position of Canada leads to a significant loss of light exposure during daytime activities,” shares the publication.

The CSS even suggests changes that could go into place to improve things if the province does decide to keep the current DST standards.

They suggest that the time changes should occur in early April and early October, occurring closer to Equinoxes, therefore being less disruptive since daylight and darkness would have more equal duration.

The second change would be implementing the time adjustment on Friday nights instead of Saturday nights, giving “more time to most citizens to adjust their sleep before the return to Monday’s school/work activities.”

Ontario Tech University has also weighed in on the matter over the years.

“Switching twice a year is disruptive both socially and biologically,” says Ontario Tech University sleep researcher Dr. Efrosini Papaconstantinou of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Dr. Papaconstantinou also states that at the end of the day, it’s quite simple: “If it’s too light at night, it can be difficult to transition into sleep. When it’s too dark in the morning, it’s hard to wake up and get to work or to school. Together, these circumstances lead to sleep deprivation.”

So, how do you feel about daylight saving time, Ontario?

Daylight Saving Time Ontario

When: Ending November 3rd, 2024 at 2:00 AM

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