LETTER: Why B.C. – and especially Surrey – doesn’t need permanent standard time
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, October 15, 2026
Editor,
I look forward to the move to permanent daylight time (PDT) and lament the “scientists” who want permanent standard time over permanent daylight time by claiming it is “better for our health” or “better for school children.” They are advocating a fallacy.
When I was in high school, every single 6 a.m. wake-up in the morning was already in the dark—that wouldn’t be fixed by adopting standard time over daylight time. But every afternoon walk home after my extracurricular activities were done was already after sunset—typically by 4:30 to 5 p.m. If I were still in high school, that extra hour of sun would make a difference to me.
It is such a blatant fallacy to suggest that B.C. youth and children would “get more sunlight” from a PST schedule over PDT. Schoolchildren would already be indoors for every minute of extra sun in the morning afforded by PST. Extracurriculars after school? Kiss the sun goodbye.
This issue is exacerbated here in Surrey, where overcrowded schools mean staggered starts—many students here wake up earlier than anywhere else in the province. PST would plunge these students into eternal darkness for every minute spent outside of school.
Best,
Daryl Dela Cruz, Surrey