GoKawiil
Tech News
A recurring public debate persists in the United States and parts of Canada over whether to keep permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time, eliminating the twice-yearly clock change. No legislative resolution has been reached, and the biannual time shift remains in effect.
Daylight saving time in the US ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks shift back an hour to standard time. It will resume at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027, under the twice-yearly schedule set by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
A University of British Columbia-led study argues that if Canada ends biannual clock changes, it should settle on permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time, citing risks to sleep and mental health from darker winter mornings. The warning comes as Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories move toward permanent daylight saving time, and as a U.S. House bill for the same policy awaits Senate action.
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, led by UBC's Professor Raymond Lam, compared the health effects of permanently adopting standard time versus permanently adopting daylight saving time. The researchers concluded that permanent standard time better aligns with human circadian biology, citing the importance of morning light exposure for sleep and mood, especially in winter when permanent daylight saving would delay sunrise by an hour in cities like Toronto and Calgary.