ESQUIMALT – The BC Chamber has recently taken the position that BC should stop switching back and forth between Pacific Standard time and Daylight Savings Time… and stay on Daylight Savings time all year long! This makes so much sense I just had to talk about it!
There are some measurable problems associated with the switch back and forth – especially the March forward-shift which reduces your sleep by an hour. Heart attacks increase between 7% and 25% (depending on the study), there are also more traffic accidents and workplace injuries during the first few days after the forward shift.
I dislike the time shift but I sure do welcome the light evenings! I have a few “morning-person” friends that would like it to be lighter in the morning, but even they like the light evenings also!
The reason that Daylight Savings Time came about to begin with (in the early 1900s) was to reduce energy consumption… something that has not been definitively shown to happen. What many people don’t know is that there was also a huge lobby by US retailers pushing the US federal government to keep, and even extend, Daylight Savings Time, recognizing that more people would be out spending money at the stores later into the evening if it were lighter.
In fact, a recent shift of the autumn switch in the USA was the result of lobbying by US candy producers to allow children an extra hour of trick-or-treating – this resulted in a massive increase in confectioner’s revenue.
In short, later lighter is lucrative! People are out later, they are participating in their communities later, they are out playing sports and going for walks later. Businesses that support outdoor activities do particularly well with Daylight Savings Time, these include home improvement, hiking, barbecuing, sports, ice cream, and a personal favorite of mine – geocaching.
Is this a bad thing? It’s certainly not bad from a retailer’s point of view! As a member of the general public (as well as a business owner) I can attest to loving the light evenings also, they energizes me to get out and do things… and yes spend money doing so.
In conclusion, I’m a big fan of Daylight Savings Time and applaud the BC Chamber’s stance of staying on DST all year long! There is one big downside though… it might be a little expensive to move all the Sundials ahead an hour.
Chris Edley, CD P.Eng is President of the Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at chris@edley.ca
