Torontonians will get an extra hour of sleep this weekend as daylight saving time comes to an end, but not everyone in Ontario will be turning back their clocks this year.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 a.m., clocks in Toronto and most of the province will move back one hour, marking the return to standard time. According to timeanddate.com, the sun will set in Toronto at about 6:09 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, giving trick-or-treaters a bit of extra daylight to collect their candy. By Sunday, sunset will arrive at 5:08 p.m., making for much darker evening commutes.
Meanwhile, the province recently announced that parts of northwestern Ontario, west of the 90th meridian, will move to permanent daylight saving time beginning Nov. 1, so residents their won’t have to turn their clocks back this weekend or forward again next spring.
The decision follows Manitoba’s announcement in September that it would also adopt permanent daylight saving time. By making the same change, northwestern Ontario communities can remain aligned with their Manitoba neighbours, making it easier to coordinate things like healthcare appointments and travel.
For Torontonians hoping to ditch the seasonal clock changes, there’s still no relief in sight (at least for now!). Ontario passed legislation in 2020 that would make daylight saving time permanent across the province, but the law has yet to take effect. The province previously indicated that coordinating with neighbouring jurisdictions, like Quebec and New York State, is important before making the big switch. So, Toronto will continue changing its clocks twice a year, with the next switch scheduled for March 14, 2027.
Beyond the inconvenience of darker evenings, there’s another reason to worry about the time change: road safety. Motor vehicle accidents have historically risen in the month following the clocks turning back, and police reportedly respond to 70 per cent more pedestrian-involved collisions due to poorer visibility during the busy evening commuting hours.
On a lighter note, here’s a fun bit of trivia: Ontario played an important role in daylight saving time history. In 1908, Port Arthur and Fort William, now part of the city of Thunder Bay, were among the first communities in the world to experiment with moving their clocks forward to enjoy more evening daylight (so when you step out of the office on Monday only to find it’s already dark outside, you know who to blame!).