Alberta has taken a significant step toward ending the twice-yearly clock changes by tabling new legislation on Thursday morning. Bill 31, formally known as the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, was introduced in the legislature by Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally. If passed, the bill would move the province to permanent Mountain Daylight Time, eliminating the need to adjust clocks in spring and fall.
Details of the Proposed Change
The new time zone would be officially named Alberta Time, though it would share the same hours as neighboring Saskatchewan, which operates on Central Standard Time year-round. The government plans to work with international time zone coordinating agencies to rename the zone and ensure electronic devices do not automatically fall back in autumn as they currently do.
Consultations and Industry Support
Minister Nally expressed confidence that Albertans would embrace the change. 'We can have this conversation all day about circadian rhythms, about car accidents, about reprogramming your oven, but at the end of the day, we have heard from Albertans that they want to stop this process of changing clocks twice a year. They want consistency,' he said.
Department staff revealed that consultations were held in 2020 and 2021, as well as in March of this year. These consultations involved various stakeholders, including transportation companies, ski hills, agricultural producers, and sports teams such as the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. The move aligns with similar actions by British Columbia, which announced last month it would adopt permanent daylight saving time, branding it as Pacific Time.
Political Reactions and Referendum Controversy
The change was first reported by Postmedia on Monday, prompting criticism from Official Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi. He argued that the government was ignoring the results of a 2021 referendum in which a slim majority rejected moving to permanent daylight saving time. 'You should abide by the results of that referendum instead of just saying, ‘I think people’s minds have changed,'' Nenshi said, warning of a similar pattern in upcoming referendums scheduled for October.
Premier Danielle Smith was asked Wednesday why the time change question was not included in the October ballot. She cited British Columbia's move and the need for adequate lead-up time. 'Making sure that we’re not giving people only a couple of weeks’ notice was one of the considerations,' she said, noting that the Northwest Territories and Yukon are also choosing to end clock changes. 'I think that the decision got foisted upon us just because we knew that in the fall, people would be asking us, ‘Hey, why didn’t you do this?''
