Daylight time in January? Why Canada considered it in the 1970s

Daylight time is about to come to an end for another year in Canada. But if opponents of the practice of resetting the clocks twice a year eventually get their way, it will someday become permanent. 

In 2020, a private member's bill from Ottawa area PC MPP Jeremy West in the Ontario legislature sought to remain on daylight time year-round. It passed second reading in the legislature, but Ontario has continued to change the clocks twice a year since then.

Back in January 1974, Canadians were embroiled in a debate about bringing back daylight time in the depths of winter — all because of our neighbours to the south.

"The Americans say the extra hour of daylight will save about 150,000 barrels of oil a day," said the CBC's Larry Stout, explaining why the U.S. was about to bring back daylight time year-round.

An emergency measure

An energy crisis had engulfed the United States and according to the Globe and Mail, the move to daylight time was "among several emergency measures requested by the President ... to help meet the energy shortage."     

But in January, dawn was still breaking in many Canadian cities at 7:30 a.m. Pushing the clocks forward by an hour would mean cars were still using headlights at the height of the morning rush hour.

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"Parents objected to sending their children to school in the dark," noted Stout. Moreover, "some people just didn't want to follow the lead of the United States." 

Besides, Canada did not necessarily stand to save energy because adopting daylight time would boost use of heating oil and electricity "on dark, cold mornings."

Provinces got to decide

With all those considerations, Ontario had decided against the move, as did the Atlantic provinces.

In the Prairie provinces, said Stout, there was no intention to switch — particularly in Saskatchewan, which stayed on standard time year-round.

British Columbia initially agreed to adopt daylight time in step with the U.S., then pushed their adoption date to February, then abandoned the plan altogether, according to the Globe and Mail. 

But the provincial decisions not to follow daylight time, while the United States did, would have an impact on industries that needed to co-ordinate schedules.

"Stock exchanges ... in Montreal and Toronto say they will open an hour early to adjust to the American market," said Stout.

Air Canada hoped B.C. would stick to standard time because "severe problems" would be the result for transcontinental services.

What it meant for the CBC

And Canadian TV networks were affected by the change to U.S. clocks. 

"CTV says it will have to reschedule 60 programs," noted Stout. "The CBC, with its higher Canadian content, will have fewer problems."

Of course, if Canadians were really interested in saving energy, there was one thing they could do.

"Leave the car at home and hop a bus," he said.