Daylight Saving Time (DST) will conclude at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 2, prompting most Canadians to set their clocks back one hour. This seasonal change requires many to adjust their sleep schedules. In Canada, DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

DST is observed in over 70 countries, impacting an estimated one billion people worldwide. The origins of this practice can be traced back to the industrial revolution. The first municipality to implement DST was Port Arthur, now known as Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1908. Local business leader John Hewitson advocated for more daylight during summer for recreational activities.

The concept gained traction during World War I when Germany became the first country to adopt DST in 1916 to conserve coal. Other nations, including the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, followed suit. However, DST was discontinued after the war, only to be reinstated during World War II. After the wars, the federal law mandating DST lapsed, allowing provincial and local governments to decide whether to continue the practice.

Some provinces, like Saskatchewan, opted out of DST, remaining on Central Standard Time year-round. Yukon chose to stay on daylight time permanently in 2020, now referred to as Yukon Time. Southampton Island in Nunavut remains on Eastern Standard Time throughout the year, while the rest of the territory observes the clock changes. Other provinces, including Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia, have expressed interest in abolishing DST, contingent on the U.S. making a similar decision. Alberta narrowly voted to maintain DST in a referendum in October 2021.

Research indicates that the clock change can have significant health implications. John Anderson, an assistant professor at Carleton University, highlighted concerns about how DST disrupts sleep patterns. "When you mess with your circadian rhythm, that internal clock, it is very bad for people," he said. Anderson noted that the phenomenon known as "social jet lag" can lead to increased stress hormones and impaired cognitive functions.

"There are way more car crashes after daylight saving time, and these likely reflect lapses in attention and sleep deprivation that come when we change the clock," he added. Long-term effects of misaligned internal clocks can include brain fog, digestive issues, and increased risks for serious health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

The debate over DST continues, with some advocating for its elimination. Liberal Member of Parliament Marie-France Lalonde recently proposed a bill to end the biannual clock change, citing its negative health impacts.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also expressed opposition to DST, calling it "inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." He acknowledged the difficulty in reaching a consensus on whether to keep the clocks as they are in the fall or spring.

Anderson supports the idea of discontinuing the clock changes, stating, "The world we live in right now is so hard on sleep and biological rhythms. I think anything we can do to avoid further disruptions to the circadian rhythm is a good thing."