LETTER: B.C.’s time change decision will mess up people’s lives

Published 7:00 am Saturday, March 14, 2026

Editor:

Re: Decision to stay with DST the whole year.

As per recent announcements from the B.C. government, B.C. is going to stay at GMT-7 time the whole year. Geographically, and celestially, -7 GMT time occurs at 105° W longitude, whereas British Columbia mostly lies between 120° W and 126° W. 120° latitude line runs almost at the B.C./Alberta border, meaning that most of B.C. (except the southeast corner lying east of 120° W). Geographical (and Solar) time at 120°W is -8 GMT.

Our winter time was our actual real time, and DST was our time of convenience. Now we will be leaving our true time and going for the unreal time of convenience the whole year. If we had to have one time the whole year, we should have stayed with our real time, which is GMT-8.

GMT -7 geographically occurs at latitude 105° W, which happens to be east of Saskatoon. To adopt the permanent time zone for British Columbia, which actually happens at as far east as Saskatoon, is irrelevant, impractical, incorrect and defies all geographic and scientific norms.

Most area of British Columbia lies within 120° W and 130° W, which would set the local true geographical times between -8:00 and -8:40 GMT. Victoria lies at 123.3656° W, meaning a -8:13:28 GMT true geographical time.

Though some have spoken about the effect this time change may have on daily activities, etc., nobody seems to have realized the technical effect it is going to have on all things where local real time is important.

Different faiths calculate many religious events and occurrences according to solar times, which is going to be complicated now, especially during the time period we have not had the DST earlier. Even the times of birth for the children born in the periods when there has previously been no DST but now will be continued DST (November to March period) will be confusing, as there will be no place to note such time “before” or “after” the time change.

I wonder if the B.C. government consulted the experts before taking this big decision which is going to mess up lives of many people in big ways.

Ram Garg, Surrey