NWT moves immediately to follow Alberta in scrapping time change

The NWT’s premier said on Monday the territory “will move to end seasonal time changes and adopt a year-round time standard,” following Alberta’s lead.

The Calgary Herald on Monday reported Premier Danielle Smith intends to move Alberta to daylight saving time all year.

Come the fall, the province will not “fall back” as it usually does, the newspaper reported. “The time we are in right now is the time it will be,” Smith was quoted as saying.

That decision has not been finalized in legislation but is not expected to face meaningful opposition.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, Premier RJ Simpson said the NWT would join Alberta in making that move.

Simpson had previously said the territory was in favour of scrapping time changes but needed Alberta to act first.

“This practical, forward-looking decision reflects what many people across the Canada have been calling for,” Simpson said in a statement on Monday after Cabin Radio asked whether the territory would join Alberta in moving to permanent daylight saving time.

“Northerners in particular have been clear on this issue,” he added. “Through public engagement, a majority of NWT residents expressed support for ending seasonal time change and moving to a year-round time.”

Albertans have been less clear.

In a 2021 vote, people in the province elected by a narrow margin to keep daylight saving as-is, still changing the clocks twice a year.

A year later, 87 percent of the 3,500 responses to a GNWT survey were in favour of scrapping twice-a-year time changes.

The Yukon moved to daylight saving time on a permanent basis in 2020. British Columbia did so in March this year.

From 2022: Remembering the start of daylight saving in the NWT

While Simpson said the NWT would join Alberta in an “end to seasonal time changes,” he did not expressly state the territory would move to permanent daylight saving time.

However, as that’s the route Alberta, the Yukon and BC have taken, it’s likely that is the option the NWT will adopt.

The territory could also move to permanent standard (winter) time. In 2022, opinions were split: just over half of respondents to the GNWT survey were in favour of scrapping the time change wanted to go with daylight saving time permanently. The rest wanted standard time.

The NWT has not provided a schedule for the change to be made. Previously, the territory estimated it would need up to a year to implement this kind of move. Alberta appears to be targeting a timetable that would keep it on daylight saving time this winter.

“This shift to year-round time will require careful coordination across jurisdictions, with industry, and with the technology systems we rely on,” Simpson stated on Monday.

“Taking this step alongside Alberta allows us to do that work more efficiently and with fewer disruptions.

“Our government will begin the necessary planning to ensure a smooth transition here in the Northwest Territories. That includes developing a clear timeline, working with partners, and giving residents, businesses, and service providers the time they need to prepare.

“This is a good example of governments working together to make practical changes that reflect how people actually live and work.”