Ontario to move northwestern region to permanent daylight time

TORONTO · Parts of northwestern Ontario will stop changing their clocks twice a year and stay on permanent daylight time starting Nov. 1, the provincial government says. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said a regulatory change to the Time Act will allow areas west of the 90th meridian to align with Manitoba. He said there is overwhelming consensus from local municipalities, First Nations and businesses for the permanent shift. The decision follows Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's announcement last month that his province would adopt year-round daylight time, putting it an hour ahead of other Prairie provinces for part of the year.

Rickford told The Canadian Press that Manitoba's move created a dilemma for northwestern Ontario, which shares the central standard time zone. "That put northwestern Ontario, who sits in the central standard time zone, in a bit of a spot, to say the least," Rickford said. He said the region considered shifting to Eastern time or continuing with seasonal changes, which would have left it out of sync with its neighbours. "The other option ... we took by unanimous consensus, was to not change our clocks and go to what I'm calling Wab Kinew time," Rickford said.

After Manitoba's announcement, communities in the northwest began working on a coordinated response. Rickford said the province consulted widely with local leaders and conducted surveys. "What ended up coming back was overwhelmingly unanimous, 90 to 94 per cent from every survey," he said. New Democrat MPP Sol Mamakwa, who represents the remote riding of Kiiwetinoong, participated in the discussions. In a statement, Mamakwa said, "After having brought the voices of our communities across the northwest to the table, we are happy the advocacy to observe daylight savings will be implemented permanently."

Mamakwa also expressed pride in the collaborative effort to find a solution that works for the north. Ontario's move is part of a broader trend among Canadian provinces to end seasonal time changes. British Columbia announced in March it plans to adopt permanent Pacific daylight time. Alberta has already switched to permanent daylight time this year, aligning its clocks year-round with Saskatchewan under the name Alberta time. The regulatory change for northwestern Ontario is scheduled to take effect on Nov. 1.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and Global News