A move of the clocks: Ontario braces for what could be last Daylight saving time

If everything goes according to plan, this could very well be the last and final time Ontarians set their clocks back an hour.

Rejoice, everyone.

This, of course, comes on the heels of a bill that was recently tabled by the Ford government that would pave the way to end the bi-annual clock changes, moving Ontario permanently to daylight time.

680 NEWS reported in early Oct. the change would not happen until Quebec and the U.S. state of New York proceed with similar legislation.

If the bill were to pass, it would lead to lighter days in the evening, year-round.

Enticing, isn’t it?

In May, British Columbia beat Ontario to the punch, passing legislation to cancel the incommodious practice of shifting back and forth between daylight time and standard time.

But progress is being made, and that’s good news for people that absolutely dread the idea of pushing the clocks back as an unofficial introduction to annual darkness, cold, and winter.

Until the day Ontario’s government announces a permanent move to daylight time, Canadians will turn their clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, as we all return to standard time.

With that in mind, Toronto police has issued an important reminder to people living in the City: be safe on the roads as you adjust to the change in time.

“Historically there has been a 30 percent increase in pedestrian-involved collisions during the weeks surrounding the DST time change,” sergeant Jason Kraft said.

“[This] year to date, 15 pedestrians have died on Toronto’s roads and 67 percent of these victims were 55 years or older. Many of these pedestrian deaths happened on arterial roads which are wide, multi-lane streets that carry high volumes of traffic,” Kraft added.

Toronto police say starting on Nov. 2 – one day after the clocks turn back – they’re launching a pedestrian safety campaign caled ‘FOCUSED on Vulnerable Road Users’, that will end Nov. 8.

The focus, they say, will be on ‘The Big 4‘ driver behaviours: aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding.

“Traffic Services will be creating opportunities through social media to discuss the daily risks taken each day by road users,” Kraft said.

“From 2018 to 2020 [presently], 46 percent of pedestrian fatalities involved mid-block crossings. Similarly 46 percent of fatalities were as a result of vehicles turning at intersections.”

Road safety is one of the main arguments health experts have for keeping Ontario in daylight time. Another is an increase in heart attacks, with some experts claiming a return to standard time can also raise the likelihood of strokes.

Daylight saving time has been around for over 100 years, starting in Ontario back in 1918.