No turning back: P.E.I. government willing to consider staying on daylight time year-round

Premier Dennis King says he's willing to begin a discussion with his Maritime counterparts about whether P.E.I. should stay on daylight time year-round.

Progressive Conservative MLA Cory Deagle, from Montague-Kilmuir, raised the issue in the legislature Wednesday, saying he intends to table a bill this week that would do just that.

"There are many compelling reasons to consider making a change to daylight savings time," he said, citing a growing amount of evidence on physical and mental health impacts, as well as vehicle crash and workplace injury rates.

"I think that this is a change whose time has come and I look forward to a good conversation with Islanders over the next few months."

In Canada, most provinces move their clocks ahead one hour on the second Sunday in March and back one hour on the first Sunday in November.

After Deagle raised the issue, Tignish-Palmer Road Liberal MLA Hal Perry noted that he had called for this previously and pressed the premier for a clear commitment.

"There's been concerns regarding the impact of long dark evenings and what it can do to one's mental health," he said.

Input from other Maritime provinces

Studies have shown an increase in heart attacks just after the time change in the spring due to lack of sleep and altered medication times, he noted.

King said he's interested in starting a conversation on the matter but would not take Prince Edward Island in that direction without input from the other Maritime provinces.

King said he will raise the issue at an Atlantic premiers meeting before the end of the year.New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said he likes the idea of using daylight time year-round and will adopt it if the other Maritime provinces go along.

Higgs was responding to LiberalLeader Roger Melanson, who suggested the idea in a news release Tuesday morning.

Ontario considering it

Ontario's government recently passed legislation to make the change as long as Quebec and New Yorkagreed to do the same thing. The Doug Ford government said it was important that the province not be out of step with its neighbouring jurisdictions.

B.C. Premier John Horgan has signalled the province won't stop changing its clocks until Washington, Oregon and California do the same.

Currently in Canada, Yukon and most of Saskatchewan do not move clock settings back or forward two times a year. Some regions in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nunavut also don't observe daylight time.

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