As B.C. moves to permanent daylight time, what could that look like if Alberta follows suit?

With British Columbia officially moving to permanent daylight time, Alberta may soon also broach the idea of getting rid of twice-yearly time changes.

B.C. Premier David Eby announced Monday that the province will change its clocks for the last time this weekend.

Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement the same day saying Alberta's government is once again considering a shift toward a permanent time zone.

She noted that with Saskatchewan already on year-round central standard time, B.C.'s decision raises questions about whether Alberta should aim for consistency across the western provinces. 

Alberta’s government has mulled over such a change before, even putting it to a 2021 referendum that narrowly failed, with 50.2 per cent voting against and 49.8 per cent in favour.

University of Calgary psychology professor Michael Antle, who studies sleep and circadian rhythms, said he believes Alberta should follow suit with its adjacent provinces.

“Neither of our neighbours [are] going to be changing their clocks, … so we should probably do the same thing —stop changing our clocks,” he said. “But it’s important that we pick something that’s going to be right for Alberta.”

A shift to a permanent time zone would allow Alberta to abandon biannual clock changes, a move Antle said he has advocated for over three decades.

In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday, Antle said he believes seasonal time adjustments twice a year have tangible health consequences.

“It’s good to get rid of the time change,” he said. “There’s acute harm that comes with the spring forward that we’re going to do this weekend.”

Antle added that while he believes ending the biannual switch would have benefits, it is also important to consider which specific time zone Alberta would ultimately adopt.

“It’s important to get the timing right. And so you’re left with the choice: do you stay with daylight saving time or do you pick the more natural standard time?” Antle asked.

“Alberta has major cities that are so much further north. … [and] our days in the winter are very short relative to other major cities in Canada. So it’s going to be more critical for Alberta to think about what is right for us.”

While Antle said he believes Alberta should follow B.C.'s lead by ending the time switch, he thinks it would be better to adopt Saskatchewan’s permanent standard time over permanent daylight saving time.