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<\/p>\nManitoba\u2019s adoption of a 365-day calendar reliant on central daylight time \u2014 as well as an ambiguous new abbreviation, MBT \u2014 was marked by missed appointments and mundane administrative tasks.<\/p>\n
Health-care providers, public schools and other workplaces began the week by resetting clocks and appointments that fell back an hour over the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how time zone information is (embedded into everything),\u201d said Charlie Marks, president of the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how time zone information is (embedded into everything).\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lots of places to look and think of and in every system, you make changes a little differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the best efforts of the IT consultant and his colleagues to prepare tech users and their servers for the transition, some troubleshooting was required across the education sector Monday.<\/p>\n
For the first time in more than 60 years, clocks across the province are staying on permanent daylight time, meaning there was no extra hour of sleep Sunday.<\/p>\n
For many residents, nothing has changed. But for some, especially those wrestling with technology glitches on phones and personal computers, the month began by trying to figure out what time it was.<\/p>\n
Manitoba Standard Time, which is five hours behind co-ordinated universal time, is the new year-round time zone. MBT is the shorthand so local time isn\u2019t confused with Mountain Standard Time (previously observed in Alberta and some parts of B.C.) in western North America.<\/p>\n
Evergreen School Division has, among its changes, reprogrammed door systems that limited access hours and communicated with third-party vendors to avoid service disruptions.<\/p>\n
Marks\u2019s team solved the former challenge before Gimli students showed up to classes Monday, but problems have persisted elsewhere in the province.<\/p>\n
In Winnipeg, principal Frank MacLean contacted Laidlaw School parents to provide reassurance and tips to reset their educational calendars.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we navigate the effect of the new time zone changes, I wanted to share that our IT department is working on fixes that affect our learning and data collection platforms,\u201d MacLean said in a memo to families in Tuxedo Monday.<\/p>\n
Cassandra Valgardson has been grappling with clock-related chaos in north-central Winnipeg, but the mom of two said the tradeoff \u2014 more sunlight in the evenings \u2014 will be worth it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kid\u2019s phone fell back. My phone fell back. Our laptop fell back, but the microwave and the oven didn\u2019t change, so that was good because I was very confused,\u201d said Valgardson, who has students in Grade 3 and Grade 6 at Lord Nelson School.<\/p>\n
Valgardson said she dreaded twice-yearly time changes because of how much they affected her children\u2019s after-school exercise and bedtime routines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we did the time change, I\u2019d be pulling them in at 5 p.m. now and then they\u2019re just cooped up. It\u2019s already a long winter, so I want them to be outside as much as possible,\u201d she said, adding she\u2019s strict about calling her kids inside when the sun goes down.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kid\u2019s phone fell back. My phone fell back. Our laptop fell back, but the microwave and the oven didn\u2019t change, so that was good because I was very confused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither the City of Winnipeg nor Manitoba government reported any significant issues, citing extensive preparation work ahead of Sunday.<\/p>\n
A city spokesperson said there were \u201csome traffic signal timing issues\u201d between 6 and 7 a.m. and within the hour after 9 a.m., but everything was fixed by 10 a.m.<\/p>\n
Aside from a few reports of computer issues and reservations snafus, Sunday was a relatively quiet, uninterrupted day for restaurants, said Shaun Jeffery, president of the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association.<\/p>\n
Nothing eventful happened at the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport as a result of the changes. A spokesperson for Winnipeg Airport Authority could not provide flight-related information because individual airlines are responsible for such matters.<\/p>\n
At Constant C Technology Group, a Winnipeg-based IT firm, the phones were a little busier.<\/p>\n
President and CEO Jason Kolaski scheduled nearly two dozen people to be on hand Monday and Tuesday to deal with potential issues that might arise for clients.<\/p>\n
While the transition has been relatively smooth for his clients, unexpected technical issues emerged related to business phone systems, outdated devices and calendar appointments, Kolaski said.<\/p>\n
At an Osborne Village indoor cycling studio on Sunday morning, about five people no-showed their scheduled high-intensity workout.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t because they were nursing a hangover from the night before, and it wasn\u2019t down to sheer laziness. Instead, the culprit was technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause their phones led them astray,\u201d said Dustin Marks, who owns the indoor cycling Saikel Studio at 437 Stradbrook Ave.<\/p>\n
One health-care administrator, who was not authorized to do an interview, indicated their Winnipeg office was overwhelmed with the tedious task of manually inputting new appointments to reflect MBT.<\/p>\n
Multiple IT professionals told the Free Press the relatively limited disruptions reflect the considerable preparation that\u2019s been undertaken in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime will tell how kids respond to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been busy the past six weeks preparing for all of this, ever since the announcement. It was a tight turnaround, but we made it work,\u201d said Marks.<\/p>\n
He called Monday \u201cuneventful,\u201d considering how many things have changed inside and outside the public education system.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime will tell how kids respond to it,\u201d said Harpreet Panag, principal of Amber Trails Community School.<\/p>\n
The school leader\u2019s prediction is that more families will choose to drive kids to class because of perceived safety concerns on dark mornings while \u201clearning readiness\u201d will be negatively impacted.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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At the same time, she said change is always hard but Manitobans are resilient and adaptable.<\/p>\n
In her building \u2014 where it was a \u201chappy coincidence\u201d that professional development was scheduled Monday \u2014 custodians kept busy resetting computers and digital classroom clocks.<\/p>\n
Panag said it was an ironic contrast to years prior, given custodians previously had to take down every analog clock and change the hands.<\/p>\n
scott.billeck@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
maggie.macintosh@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t![\"Scott](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/scott-billeck-bio.jpg\")
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Scott Billeck Several wise folks \u2014 ok, ok, journalism types \u2014 once told Scott he better make sure he can report on news before he learns to write about sports. In what can only be described as a minor miracle, he listened.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 Read full biography<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t
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