CTV News Edmonton has reported:

Alberta will not turn its clocks back on Nov. 1, when Daylight Saving Time ends in parts of Canada. The province has moved to permanent daylight time under legislation tabled in April, keeping it on Mountain Daylight Time through the winter. The change, called “Alberta Time” or ABT, means darker mornings because clocks will not fall back this year.

At 2 a.m. on Nov. 1, parts of Canada will set clocks back one hour. The prairie provinces and British Columbia will not make the switch. Alberta’s government says ending clock changes brings the province in line with B.C., Yukon, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and, most recently, Manitoba.

Premier Danielle Smith has said Albertans should try year-round daylight time for one year before making a final decision. Her predecessor, Jason Kenney, previously held a referendum on moving to permanent daylight time, but the proposal was defeated by a margin.

With a couple of weeks remaining before the annual time change elsewhere, the sun in Edmonton rises just before 8 a.m. and sets just before 7 p.m. On Monday, residents told CTV News they were preparing for darker mornings. Bernadine Otieno, who works in construction, said early starts would make the change difficult.

“For me, especially in the construction field, it’ll be a bit difficult given that we start early, around 7 a.m.,” Otieno said. “It’s a bit difficult … There are some things you can’t do, especially in construction, unless there’s light.”

Edythe, a B.C. native who gave only her first name, criticized the decision to stop changing clocks in both her home province and Alberta, calling it “stupid, ludicrous, moronic.” She said children heading to school would be walking in darkness.

“Did it ever occur to those who make the decision that, at 8 a.m., when kids are walking to school, they’re now walking to school in complete dark?” she said. “It’s less of a concern for myself, I’m retired. I don’t have to go out on the street if I really don’t want to. But I have a lot of friends who are still working, and it is a major concern.”

Some shift workers welcome the change. Edmonton nurse Suzie O’Dell said she looks forward to not having to adjust to a time change, when workers can end up with an extra hour on a shift. “Especially when you’re springing it or falling back, you get an extra hour of work,” she said. O’Dell said she does not understand “why now.”

Sleep and circadian researchers have previously opposed permanent daylight time, arguing that standard time year-round would be best for most people’s bodies. A motion is also before Parliament calling for a nationwide consultation on changing the clocks. The report included files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum and Alex Antoneshyn.