Four Canadian Jurisdictions Adopt Permanent Daylight Time
British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories will implement permanent year-round daylight time starting November 1, 2026.
The governments of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories have announced the adoption of permanent year-round daylight time, effective November 1, 2026. The Government of British Columbia defended the decision by citing a 2019 survey of 223,000 participants, 93 percent of whom preferred the change to improve health and simplify scheduling.
However, researchers Ralph Mistlberger and Patrick Baylis published an analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warning that permanent daylight time may lead to chronic sleep deprivation, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular disease. They argue that the shift disrupts circadian rhythms and that permanent standard time would better align with biological clocks and improve academic performance for students.
The researchers further claim the government's 2019 survey was flawed because it only offered a choice between a switching regime and permanent daylight time, omitting permanent standard time as an option.
