U.S. legislative action sets the table for B.C. to stick with daylight time

B.C.'s plan to stay on daylight time permanently took a giant spring forward Tuesday when the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to make daylight time permanent in that country in 2023.

B.C. Premier John Horgan has advocated the measure for the province, but has said we must wait for economic reasons for Washington state, Oregon and California to follow suit. And those states need federal approval.

Horgan said on Twitter Tuesday he was pleased to see progress on ending time changes, noting British Columbians are ready for them to end.

“For B.C. families who have just had to cope with the disruptions of changing the clocks, the U.S. Senate bill passed today brings us another step toward ending the time changes in our province for good,” he said.

“British Columbians said loud and clear they want to stop falling back and springing forward, with 93 per cent indicating support in a record-breaking public engagement.

“That's why we passed legislation that would enable us to do so quickly, with our intention to stay aligned with the western states of Washington, Oregon and California, as supported by a majority of survey respondents.

“While the bill still requires congressional approval before it can go to President Biden to sign, we're well positioned in B.C. to do away with the time changes once and for all and move to permanent DST.”

On Sunday, most of the U.S. and Canada resumed daylight time, moving ahead one hour. They will resume standard time in November.

Under the U.S. legislation, the U.S. wouldn't revert to standard time until November 2023. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said after input from airlines and broadcasters that supporters agreed that the change wouldn't take place until then.

“I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but it is one of those issues that there is a lot of agreement. ... If we can get this passed, we don't have to do this stupidity anymore,” Rubio added. “Pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”

About 30 U.S. states since 2015 have introduced legislation to end the twice-yearly changing of clocks, with some states proposing to do it only if neighbouring states do the same.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce committee held a hearing on the issue this month. Rep. Frank Pallone, the committee's chairman, said that “the loss of that one hour of sleep seems to impact us for days afterwards.

“It also can cause havoc on the sleeping patterns of our kids and our pets.”

Pallone backs ending the clock switching, but hasn't decided whether to support daylight or standard time as the permanent choice.

Pallone cited a 2019 poll that found that 71 per cent of Americans prefer to no longer switch their clocks twice a year.

Supporters say the change could prevent a slight uptick in car crashes that typically occurs around the time changes and point to studies showing a small increase in the rate of heart attacks and strokes soon after the time change.

“It has real repercussions on our economy and our daily lives,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, another leading sponsor.

Supporters argue it could help businesses such as golf courses that could draw more use with more evening daylight.