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Ministry of the Attorney General
Ministère du Procureur général

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News Release   Backgrounder

March 6, 2007

New Dates For Daylight Saving Time Keep Ontarians In Sync

It may seem a few weeks early this year, but it's time to spring forward.

An extension to daylight saving time means that you will have to move your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed on Saturday night, and make sure all computers and other household devices have the correct time on Sunday morning. This Sunday, Ontario is synchronizing changes to the daylight saving time schedule in the United States.

In Ontario, the Time Act governs daylight saving time, and is the responsibility of Attorney General Michael Bryant. Before making this change, a committee led by David Zimmer, Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General, met with many groups and citizens, and received more than 3,300 e‑mails.

In 2005, the United States announced it was extending daylight saving time by an additional 4 weeks per year, starting 3 weeks earlier in the spring, and ending 1 week later in the fall. Most of those consulted wanted to keep Ontario in sync with our province's most important business partner.

Based on the strong support among citizens and businesses, Attorney General Bryant announced the change to daylight saving time in the fall of 2005. Most other Canadian provinces and territories are following Ontario's lead and changing their dates as well.

Under the new schedule, daylight saving time will begin on the second Sunday in March, and end on the first Sunday in November. This is the first change to daylight saving time since 1986, when it was extended by three weeks to help save energy.

But what does this change mean for Ontarians?

First of all, Ontario businesses will maintain their strong economic and trading links with the United States. Our change to daylight saving time will allow businesses to avoid confusion and disruption in cross-border trade and communication. In today's age of electronic commerce and just‑in‑time inventory, this will help our province's economy maintain its stability and competitive advantage.

The change also means there will be an additional hour of daylight in the late afternoon during the four new weeks of daylight saving time. Additional daylight during this time will allow Ontarians to take advantage of increased outdoor activities and exercise, and can help increase the safety of children and youth on their way home from after‑school activities.

Finally, this change may also reduce energy consumption. Moving daylight hours to the late afternoon may reduce the need for household lighting during this time, and could reduce energy bills as a result.

The McGuinty government is on the side of Ontario business, including small businesses and entrepreneurs who help Ontario prosper. Our province's leadership maintaining our economic stability will help to ensure our businesses will continue to prosper in the months and years to come.

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