Albertan Committee Scraps Time Zone Change

Instead, the committee suggests, the government should consult with neighboring provinces to push for a national change.

No DST Changes

The bill was proposed by Thomas Dang, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Alberta, earlier in 2017. It would see the end of twice-yearly DST clock changes and move the province to permanent Central Standard Time (CST).

Economic Concerns

After hearings involving the Calgary-based airline WestJet and the province’s two National Hockey League (NHL) teams the committee decided that the impact on Alberta businesses would be too much. “The airline said eliminating the change would lead to economic losses, and the Oilers and Flames were concerned about late start times,” reports CTV News Edmonton.

Up to the Government

The committee's recommendation will still go to the government for debate, and all legislative members will have to sign off on it in order to reject the bill. If the bill goes through, a referendum asking the citizens of Alberta if they want to change the time zone will be held. However, holding a referendum on the matter could cost the province millions of dollars.

Time in Alberta

Today, Alberta observes Mountain Standard Time (MST) with a UTC offset of -7 during the winter months. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), with a UTC offset of -6, is used during DST.

DST in Canada

Canada follows the same DST schedule as the United States, starting on the 2nd Sunday in March and ending on the 1st Sunday in November.

Areas that don't use DST include Saskatchewan, some locations in Québec east of 63° westerly longitude (e.g. Blanc-Sablon), Southampton Island, and some areas in western British Columbia.