the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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 Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:03 am Post subject: U.S. moves daylight savings time... |
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and some Canadians officials believe we must follow suit or face "industrial problems"
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GREG BONNELL
Wed Jul 20, 6:44 PM ET
TORONTO (CP) - Adopting two more months of daylight savings time would save energy and ensure Canadian business remains in step with the Unites States as that country considers springing its clocks forward earlier and falling back later, experts said Wednesday.
Canadian politicians are also closely watching events that unfolded in the U.S. capital and vowed to assess the pros and cons of following America's lead. "As important as it is to be synchronized with our American partners, it is just as important to be synchronized within Canada," said Internal Trade Minister Mauril Belanger.
"We'll monitor it, we'll follow it, but it is provincial jurisdiction," he added.
"We have every confidence that the provinces, when they meet at the Council of the Federation (in August), will be able to deal with that."
Under a sweeping energy package presented by U.S. legislators Tuesday, daylight savings time across most of the United States would start on the first weekend in March and run through the last weekend in November.
Daylight time currently runs from April through October in Canada and the United States.
Proponents of the U.S. change say it will mean greater energy savings.
In Ontario, the Independent Electricity System Operator crunched some numbers and concluded that an extra two months of daylight savings would save power.
Pushing the clocks forward in April resulted in an average 2.2 per cent annual decline in energy use over a 15-year period, said spokesman Terry Young.
The change, which would likely take effect this fall if the bill becomes law, would mean clocks in Canada and the United States would be out of sync in March and November, causing scheduling headaches for travellers and business.
"Given some preliminary analysis, it would seem a necessity for us to follow the U.S. lead," said Tina Kremmidas, a senior economist with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Manufacturing schedules, particularly within the auto sector, would suffer during months in which the United States and Canada were on different clocks, said Kremmidas.
Airlines would need to rework their schedules, as would TV networks, and the Canadian financial community would be starting work an hour later than traders in New York, she added.
"It could affect investment decisions."
Those concerns weren't lost on Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"We're not anxious to have a disconnect between us and our chief trading partner," said McGuinty. "But we'll have to make an assessment as to whether or not it's in our interests (to follow suit)."
Two extra months of daylight savings would have a minimal impact on energy conservation in Manitoba, said Premier Gary Doer.
"It might have a greater impact on industries such as transportation that work north and south, where you'd have different time zones at different times of the year," he added.
"So if (the bill) does pass this week, certainly under the transportation section of the Canadian premiers meeting, I would be raising it."
There was at least one place in Canada that didn't fear being out of step with the United States - or the rest of county for that matter.
Saskatchewan does not abide by the rules of daylight time, electing to stay on central standard time all year round, but it has proved a deeply divisive issue.
Earlier this year, steel giant Ipsco, which was founded in Regina and now has operations all over North America, decided to go it alone and change its Saskatchewan administrative hours to jive with central daylight time.
A company spokeswoman said Wednesday that the change has worked well for the company so far.
Keeping in step with the Americans on daylight savings was seen as a positive move by energy conservationists as well.
"I think any idea is a good idea if it can save some energy," said Murray Stewart, president of the Energy Council of Canada.
"We should be doing everything possible, every good idea inside or outside the box, we should be pursuing because every little bit adds up."
If Canada doesn't follow the U.S. lead on daylight savings time it won't be the first time the countries were out of sync.
The energy crisis of the 1970s saw the United States adopt 10 continuous months of daylight savings time, from January to October, 1974.
Canada did not follow suit, and news reports from the time detail TV schedules out of whack with U.S. programming, airlines changing flight plans and Canadian businesses modifying work hours to remain in step with their counterparts south of the border. |
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20050720/ca_pr_on_na/daylight_savings_2 |
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