Alberta’s premier intends to move the province to year-round daylight saving time.
This announcement comes as Alberta considers changes to its timekeeping practices.
As of early Tuesday, Premier Danielle Smith stated, “The time we are in right now is the time it will be.”
However, details remain unconfirmed, as the legislation still needs to be voted on in the Alberta Legislature.
In 2021, a province-wide referendum showed that 49.8% of Albertans favored making this switch permanent, while 50.2% voted against it.
Historically, Alberta adopted daylight saving time in 1971 after a referendum passed with 61.5% in favor.
Notably, British Columbia plans to make a similar switch permanent by March 2026.
The Yukon already moved to permanent daylight saving time in 2020.
In neighboring Northwest Territories, officials have expressed concerns about being out of sync with Alberta and other nearby provinces regarding time changes.
The public’s response has been mixed. A survey indicated that 87% of respondents were in favor of scrapping twice-a-year time changes.
Premier RJ Simpson remarked, “The thing that needs to happen is Alberta needs to get on board.”
It appears that Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is expected to permanently make this switch soon—if the legislature approves it.