Why Are We Going to Move Our Clocks Ahead?
It’s not quite spring, but we are going to move our clocks ahead one hour this weekend. We’ll "spring forward" and we’ll lose an hour of sleep as daylight saving time begins for 2024.
We spring forward on the second Sunday in March. Daylight saving time will begin on Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m. local time.
Why do we move our clocks ahead in the spring?
Moving our clocks forward from Standard Time in the spring gives us another hour of daylight.
Another argument for daylight saving time (DST) is that it may save energy costs. The idea is to shift our activities to make better use of the daylight and reduce the energy needed for these activities.
Did you know? Daylight saving time is the eight-month period (about 65% of the year) between March and November when the majority of the country adjusts their clocks.
Do all parts of Canada ‘spring forward?’
Daylight saving time is observed in nine of the 10 provinces and two of its three territories—though with exceptions in parts of several provinces and in Nunavut.
Most of Saskatchewan is on year-round Central Standard Time (CST).
In 2020, Yukon moved to permanently observe year-round Mountain Standard Time, giving up seasonal time change.
How to set your clocks and devices
Canadians in most time zones should set their manual devices ahead an hour on Saturday, March 9, before going to bed.
Smartphones, smartwatches, computers, tablets, and other digital and wi-fi-enabled devices usually automatically adjust to daylight saving time while you’re sleeping.
How does daylight saving time affect us?
Not everyone adjusts well to “springing forward.” Some people can experience the equivalent of jet lag – feelings of mental and physical fatigue.
Others may have difficulty sleeping or waking up and DST may affect your metabolism and your eating routine.
Interesting things to know about daylight saving time
- On July 1, 1908, the residents of Port Arthur, Ontario, now Thunder Bay, turned their clocks forward by one hour to start what is believed to be the world's first municipality to enact daylight saving time.
- You may hear it called “daylight savings time” or “daylight savings,” but the correct term is “daylight saving time.”
- It wasn’t invented by Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States, and an inventor, diplomat, politician, and diplomat.
- New Zealand entomologist George Hudson first proposed modern DST. His shift-work job gave him spare time to collect insects and led him to value after-hours daylight, says Wikipedia.
- Germany was the first country to implement daylight saving time in 1916 to save fuel during the First World War.
- Ontario has been pushing to end daylight saving time within the province, but without the support of its neighbours in Quebec and New York, the change is unlikely.
If we move our clocks forward, when is spring this year?
According to the National Research Council of Canada, spring begins in 2024 on March 20 at 3:06 a.m.
When do we “fall back” and why?
On November 3, 2024, daylight saving time ends and local standard time begins. We will set our clocks back one hour.
Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on Nov. 3, 2024, than the day before. There will be more light in the morning and less in the evening.
You may also hear it called Fall Back and Winter Time.
