It’s time to end the traditional changing of clocks during spring and fall. Enacting permanent daylight savings could physically and mentally benefit Canadians so, why not do it?
By Allissa Hibbs
(Annemarie Cutruzzola/ CanCulture)
After a long and gloomy Canadian winter filled with nothing but dark skies, I always look forward to setting the clocks ahead in the spring. Springing forward means more sunshine, and longer evenings but this tradition could soon change.
MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean Jeremy Roberts recently put forth the Time Amendment Act which moves to permanently enact daylight time. This would allow for the sun to rise later, providing more sunlight into the evening.
Robert’s tweet made me wonder if I had ever been affected by something as simple as changing my clock, and I have.
I experience an intense version of seasonal depression where I get headaches from artificial light and on shorter days, I feel sluggish. The winter months are tough as my body craves Vitamin D but with fewer hours of sunlight, I can never get enough.
It never occurred to me that time and sunlight were elements that could be controlled. I have since begun to wonder that if the government controls the system of time we use, then why not choose a setting that prioritizes health and safety?
Daylight Savings Time was first introduced by the Canadian government in 1918 to increase production during the First World War. The thought was that during brighter months of the year, people would be able to get more work done but averse to this, Daylight Savings Time has actually been proven to negatively affect health and slow productivity.
According to Health Europa, switching to and from Daylight Savings Time can affect a person’s biological clock and increase depression rates, heart attacks, strokes, and sleep deprivation. The New England Journal of Medicine also found that the hour of sleep lost during spring’s Daylight Savings Time increases Canadian traffic accident rates by seven per cent.
Could it be possible that stopping bi-annually time changes could make the lives of pedestrians and drivers safer?
The time change also has the potential to improve the economy with Roberts stating that the switch to a permanent Daylight Savings Time could help small businesses as consumers increase their shopping during the daylight.
Despite this, most Canadian provinces still participate in Daylight Savings Time with the exception of Saskatchewan and Yukon who have ended seasonal time changes.
One incentive for maintaining the current system is the seemingly positive effect Daylight Savings Time has on energy conservation - though, it does not conserve as much energy as many believe.
A study by the NRC Publications Archive found that shifting from Daylight Savings Time to standard time actually causes an increase of 1.5 per cent in electricity use, often because of the temperature changes during that time of the year.
While people can get comfortable in routine and view changing the clocks as a tradition, most do not consider the effect this small change can have on their body, mental health, and the safety of others. If making Daylight Savings Time permanent could improve mental and physical health and keep Ontario safer, then I say why not?
Personally, I am tired of the dark winters, of feeling sluggish, and of my body’s endless need for Vitamin D and natural sunlight. If the government has the power to support its people and make Ontario a healthier, happier, and safer place, then that is exactly what they should do.