Premiers talk time change ahead of Horgan's U.S. meetings in Seattle

B.C. Premier John Horgan says he expects to discuss the possibility of abandoning seasonal time changes with Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and other United States politicians at meetings in Seattle this week.

Horgan said Washington, Oregon and California are considering eliminating the semi-annual clock adjustments but are dealing with federal and state hurdles that are causing delays.

He said he expects the B.C. government to introduce time-change legislation this fall but would prefer to make a permanent switch in co-ordination with Yukon and the western states.

Horgan, who was in Whitehorse, said he and Yukon Premier Sandy Silver talked about the time change issue and both favour a unified approach.

Horgan will be in Seattle Thursday to attend the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference, which brings together business, academic, and government leaders to explore strategies for the region to explore and share competitive advantages.

A recent B.C. government survey saw more than 93 per cent of respondents, or almost 225,000 people, indicate support for a permanent move to daylight time.

Most areas of B.C. currently "spring forward" into daylight time in March then "fall back" to standard time in November.

Three-quarters said health concerns were the driving reasons behind their support for scrapping the clock change. More than half noted the benefits of extra daylight during their evening commutes in winter, while 39 per cent mentioned other safety concerns in their responses.

Horgan has previously said B.C. would stick to its time-changing ways because the province needs to align with neighbouring jurisdictions. More than half of respondents agreed, saying it was "important" or "very important" that B.C. be aligned with its neighbours when it comes to keeping time.