Daylight Saving 2024 Starts in Canada
By Sara Kornberg and Mathew Gundersen. Published 12-Feb-2024
Canada starts Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Nonetheless, many provinces and territories want to remove seasonal clock changes.
The striped areas will start Daylight Saving Time on March 10, 2024.
©timeanddate.com
Most people living in Canada will set their clocks forward one hour from 02:00 (2 am) to 03:00 (3 am) local time on March 10, 2024.
Standard time, also known as winter time, will resume on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
The USA and Europe Also Start DST in March
Most of the United States will also start DST on the same date.
The majority of Europe starts DST three weeks later, on March 31, 2024.
DST Change
Clocks will change in almost all areas in Canada, except:
- Yukon (on permanent DST since 2020)
- Some areas in British Columbia
- Most of Saskatchewan
- Southampton Island
- Some locations in Québec east of 63° west longitude (e.g., Blanc-Sablon)
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Many Provinces and Territories Want to “Ditch the Switch”
The changing of the clocks has been debated in Canada for many years, with provincial politicians in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta wanting to scrap the century-old practice.
British Columbia introduced a legislation amendment in 2019 that paves the way for a move to permanent Daylight Saving in the future; however, it is awaiting similar changes from Washington, Oregon, and California. There is also a collective drive for permanent standard time (in the US and Canada) from British Columbia, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Ontario tabled and unanimously passed a private member’s bill called the Time Amendment Act in 2020. Since they share trade with New York and Quebec, Ontario is waiting for them to get on board.
Alberta had a referendum on the idea in 2021. Just over half of the voters wanted to keep changing clocks twice a year, so Albertans will keep changing their clocks.
History of DST
Canada implemented DST as far back as 1908, making the small towns of Port Arthur and Fort William (later Thunder Bay) the first documented cases of Daylight Saving Time being adopted in the world.
Other Locations That Change
Also starting DST on March 10 are Cuba, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Thule Air Base in Greenland.