Will this be the last time British Columbians are forced to ‘spring ahead’ this daylight time change? Every year the question lights up the headlines like some kind of affirmation ritual for the seasonally depressed. The question will be everywhere for a hot minute, but inevitably, we all seem to collectively hit snooze on the subject. By the time our circadian rhythms have adjusted, we seem to become complacent on the subject, basking in our glorious extra waking hour of partial cloud cover with a chance of showers. The movement to free British Columbians from the ravages of a biannual time warp has been dragging on for years, and I think it’s time it came to a stop.
It’s not like there isn’t plenty of scientific proof to back it up; history has shown time and time again that the change leads to a rise in traffic accidents, health issues, and generalizing about farmers and how the whole thing was their idea in the first place – or something along those lines. For a little while there it even looked like the matter was gaining some ground; the provincial government passed legislation that would allow them to eventually — at some point — transition British Columbia to daylight time year round, in theory.
Part of this plan also involved making the change with our neighbouring states and provinces to make sure we’re all on the same page. But here we are in Jan. 2022, and not a single one of us has made the change officially; another November has come and gone, and once again we have been ripped unwillingly from our precious daylight time. I obviously can not speak for what is happening in the U.S., but I know that British Columbia doesn’t appear to have been much movement in the two years since the legislation passed in 2019.
I have my own theories, of course. At great personal risk to myself and my loved ones, I thought it my civic duty to blow the whistle on what I believe to be wool pulled over the eyes of British Columbians. When examining the issue of sleep disruption during time changes, ask yourself — who stands to benefit? Who do we turn to in times of bleary-eyed winter commutes? That’s right — coffee shops. I’ll bet coffee sales skyrocket every time we drag ourselves through this charade. ‘Big Coffee’ is tied into all of this somehow, slowing down the process; I can’t prove it yet, but I believe time will tell all.
In the meantime, I will do what I can to shed light on this very important issue, and keep awareness alive year round so that we might finally run out the clock on time changes. But to get back to the original question — will this be the last time British Columbians are forced to ‘spring ahead’ into daylight time? I wouldn’t set my watch.
Image: Jon Tyson/Unsplash
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