Alberta’s Smith says province will do away with twice-a-year time change

The change is expected to be made in legislation coming later this week.

Smith announced last month the government was consulting on time change, after British Columbia said it was staying on daylight time permanently.

“I kind of like more sunlight at night, and I think most people do, too, because we are on daylight eight months out of the year,” she said at the time.

“Going to standard (time) 12 months of the year would be a big adjustment for people,” she said.

She added that B.C.’s shift raised questions about whether Alberta should be aiming for consistency across western provinces.

As it stands, Alberta is set to revert to standard time on Nov. 1.

The changes are likely to affect businesses, transportation and even Albertans’ health.

Some medical experts and organizations, including the Canadian Sleep Society and the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, have said permanent daylight time could result in negative health outcomes, including sleep issues.

They advocate for permanent standard time to avoid the negative health impacts of clock changes, including an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and disruptions to the immune system and metabolism.

However, proponents, such as the B.C. government, say extra daylight in the evening could make for safer commutes, and would align with when more people are active, improving overall well-being.

If legislation passes and Alberta sticks to daylight time year-round, the clocks won’t change, but times will change in relation to other provinces.

It means B.C. will be one hour behind Alberta year-round while Saskatchewan and Alberta will always be on the same time.

Alberta would be on the same time as Manitoba in winter and one hour behind Manitoba in summer. However, that could change as Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has recently mused about going on one clock year-round.

The change would mean much of Ontario and Quebec would be one hour ahead in winter and two hours ahead in summer.

For most of the Atlantic provinces, the change would put Alberta two hours behind in winter and three hours back in the summer.

The issue has been hotly debated and voted on for decades in Alberta, and Smith has previously mused about putting the issue on a ballot herself.

Five years ago, a referendum question was put to Albertans to keep daylight time year-round, but it failed by the narrowest of margins — 50.2 per cent to 49.8 per cent.

The province adopted daylight time in 1971 after a referendum on the subject passed with 61.5 per cent of voters in favour, only four years after 51 per cent of Albertans voted against the move.

Since then, politicians across the spectrum have periodically petitioned for changes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2026.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Alberta’s Smith says province will do away with twice-a-year time change

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