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Or sign-in if you have an account.Nova Scotia might not face much resistance from business if it scrapped seasonal clock changes like some western provinces.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBritish Columbia recently adopted permanent, year-round daylight saving time, and Alberta has a bill before the legislature that would see it do the same.Those provinces would join regions of Canada that are on permanent daylight time, including most of Saskatchewan, northwestern B.C. and the Yukon.In 2020, Ontario passed a law that would make daylight time permanent but only if Quebec and the state of New York make the same change.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againNova Scotia Premier Tim Houston recently floated the idea of following suit – if the other Atlantic provinces were onboard.It might not take much to convince Nova Scotia businesses.“Not having to switch back and forth will probably be for the best,” said Tim Rissesco, CEO of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, which oversees business improvement in that section of Halifax.“We have outlived the reason for changing the clocks twice a year. More daylight during the evening business hours will be a benefit.” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston answers questions from reporters at Province House on March 27, 2026. Photo by Ryan Taplin /PostmediaRissesco said longer daylight hours in the evenings could encourage people to spend more time and money at downtown shops and restaurants.Soybean farmer Bill Riggs said leaving the clocks alone could extend the day during harvest time, and it wouldn’t be as disruptive as 60 or 70 years ago.“We got tractors with powerful LED headlights that light up half an acre. It makes it look like the middle of the daytime. You didn’t have that with the old horse and wagon,” he said.For over a century, most Canadian communities have been adjusting clocks in the spring to take advantage of longer daylight hours and switching them back to standard time in the late fall.But lately the tradition has been seen as an inconvenience.“I’m interested in (discontinuing) it, but it’s not something that Nova Scotia would do on its own,” Houston said last month. “This is always something that we said we’d have to do with the region.”He expects the topic will be raised with the other Atlantic premiers the next time they meet and possibly discussed when Canada’s provincial leaders convene this summer.“It can be a discussion at the Council of Atlantic Premiers, and it will be, I’m sure,” Houston said. “Maybe even a discussion at the Council of the Federation over the summertime meetings. But I’m interested in it. I see the pros and cons of it.” Cathy Collett offers up some oat cake to her pup, Taz, on the dog-friendly patio at the Cottage Cafe in Dartmouth last May. Photo by Tim Krochak /PostmediaThere are potential economic benefits to ending the time changes.Switching clocks have shown to affect productivity at the workplace days after the change.Eliminating the twice-yearly time transition could reduce scheduling disruptions and workforce fatigue. There are also health benefits, as changing the clocks has been linked to an increase in heart attacks, sleep deprivation, and other health complications.Standard time better aligns natural light with our body’s circadian rhythm, allowing for a more natural wake-sleep cycle.Even the stock market seems to be affected by the time change, leading to some volatility. The University of Toronto wrote in 2018 that research conducted by Mark Kamstra found stock markets tend to draw back significantly on the Monday after a time change, whether the clocks lose or gain an hour.“It’s difficult for the workers,” Rissesco said.“But if we were to eliminate the time change and gained some daylight, a little bit sooner or longer through the year, it might make the streets feel more vibrant for people to go out and walk in the evenings and potentially shop if the stores stayed open with the longer daylight hours. Even that extra hour could make a difference.”In B.C., polling showed support for permanent daylight savings time was higher than 90 per cent across all industry and occupational groups.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said B.C.’s decision forced her hand. Soybeans are offloaded to a hopper wagon on a farm south of London, Ont., in 2022. Photo by Mike Hensen /PostmediaIn Nova Scotia, that extra hour of daylight could benefit restaurants and pubs, especially if the weather is nice.“Maybe it would encourage people to get out and enjoy downtown, enjoy the patios, a night out at a restaurant,” Rissesco said. “More daylight would encourage people to stay out longer into the evenings. I think it would make a difference.”The popular belief that daylight time was created in the early 20th century to help farmers is misleading.Farming is dictated by sun time, not clock time.Biggs, who operates Biggs Farms in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, said an extra hour of daylight would be welcomed by crop and vegetable farmers.“It’ll extend our work into the night, especially during harvest,” he continued.However, Biggs noted that most farmhands would prefer to finish their work by 5 p.m.“It may not end up being as beneficial as it could be because a lot of people don’t want to work after 5 o’clock anymore,” Biggs said. “Even with that extra hour of daylight, they’re done at five. Most people want to go home by then.”Rissesco is realistic, and said permanent daylight time, “Probably won’t be the silver bullet that changes everything.“What you gain on one end, you lose on the other end,” he said. “But if Nova Scotia could get the other three (Atlantic) provinces or just the two other Maritime provinces, it would be worth trying.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.