While folks in the National Capital Region will get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday, this might be the last time residents of Gatineau set their clocks back, according to Quebec’s new premier.
On Wednesday, the Parti Québécois (PQ) revealed its plan to introduce a bill soon that would eliminate time changes across the province, pointing out the negative effects on people’s health.
“To all the parents who will be dealing with their children’s reactions this time change in the several weeks to come: this is probably the last year we’ll be imposing such unnecessary constraints on ourselves,” Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote in French in a social media post.
Ontario hasn’t announced any similar plan to end time changes across the province, which means clocks in Ottawa and Gatineau could differ by one hour during daylight savings if PQ’s bill goes through.
‘Everything would get a lot more complicated’
Statistics Canada’s latest data from the 2021 census shows that over one-quarter of Gatineau residents cross into Ontario for work. Many people from eastern Ontario have jobs in federal buildings located in Gatineau.
Erin Benjamin, vice-president of Ottawa Board of Trade, mentioned it’s too early to determine how eliminating time changes could affect cross-border activities, but there will certainly be impacts.
“There’s no question that everything would get a lot more complicated,” she said. “From personal schedules to school, transit, shopping, or hopping across the river for dinner with friends, it extends to all of our activities.”
The conversation around daylight savings has gained traction across Canada; British Columbia, Manitoba and areas in northwestern Ontario are now choosing not to adjust their clocks anymore.
Some public servants in Ottawa are frustrated about possibly being on different time zones than Gatineau. Jennifer Wallace expressed her concerns since she regularly interacts with colleagues there.
“Having that one-hour time difference would be very dysfunctional,” she said.
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat stated it knows about potential time changes in “certain jurisdictions.” p>
“As no legislation has been introduced and no changes have been implemented, it would be premature to speculate on potential impacts or any measures that may be required,” it said.p >
With no current timeline for tabling the bill, Quebec’s premier says a change could happen next year after consulting with experts.p >
Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard suggested one way Ontario could ease potential confusion is by following Quebec’s example.p >
“[It] would create a lot of inconvenience if we were not aligned,” Collard said. p >
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