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East Kootenay residents can take one item off their fall to-do list: changing the clocks.
The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) board voted 12-3 Friday to stop changing clocks twice a year and make mountain daylight time permanent. The decision keeps the region aligned with Alberta, instead of moving to the same clock as most of B.C.
The vote settles months of debate over what time the East Kootenay should follow after the province announced most of B.C. would end seasonal time changes and left mountain time communities to decide for themselves.
A decision after pushback
In March, the RDEK board first voted to move affected areas to year-round mountain standard time, which would have put the region on the same clock as most of B.C.
The decision was later rescinded after public pushback and calls for more consultation.
The region launched a non-binding regional survey, which received more than 14,000 responses. Eighty-nine per cent of respondents said they wanted to stop changing clocks twice a year and stay on a single time all year, while 66 per cent preferred permanent mountain daylight time.
RDEK board chair Rob Gay said the survey was not the only factor directors considered, but it carried weight.
“The survey certainly influenced our decision,” Gay said. “We were very glad that they shared the view with us.”
Ties to Alberta
Gay said many residents and businesses in the East Kootenay have strong ties to Alberta, especially in areas such as the Elk Valley and Crowsnest Pass.
He said the board also considered health, business schedules, public safety and school crossings before making a final decision.
Gay said the survey also showed many residents wanted more daylight later in the day.
“People in the East Kootenay are outside people,” Gay said. “They like to recreate.”
He said many residents want time after work and school to play sports, go fishing or go hiking.
“They really value that evening light,” Gay said.
But Gay said one point was clear across the region.
“We are tired of changing our clock,” he said. “So that is going to cease.”
Cranbrook resident Frederick Riedel said he sees both sides of the debate.
“There’s really no right choice,” he said, adding the region has connections both to the rest of B.C. and Alberta.
Still, Riedel said he thinks people will adjust.
“There’s less things to do every year,” he said. “Be easy to adapt to and we’ll probably forget we even did that at one point.”
What happens next
For residents in the RDEK, the practical change is simple: when clocks would normally move back in November, they will stay where they are.
The RDEK says it will share its decision with neighbouring local governments in Golden and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Electoral Area A, which still need to decide their own time observance.
Gay said the decision will disappoint some residents.
“People have taken this seriously, and so did our board,” Gay said. “Certainly, they won’t agree 100 per cent with the decision, nor did the whole board agree with the decision.”
Still, when November comes, East Kootenay residents may have to rake leaves, switch tires and dig out winter coats. But changing the clocks will not be part of their fall routine.
