It’s that time of year again to change all your clocks and timers in the house. It comes every year, yet it doesn’t get less annoying or confusing. Of course, I am talking about Daylight Saving Time (DST) which ends November 5, 2023.
This change of time addresses the polarizing seasons in Canada and brings up polarizing opinions. Not everyone in Canada implements Daylight Saving Time to their time zones. But here in Calgary we do. So how did it come to be?
In 1895, George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist, submitted a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society in New Zealand. In his paper he proposes that there be a two-hour shift forward and backward in October and March respectively. Hudson thought this shift would encourage productivity. But secretly, it gave him more time to chase insects after work (his favourite pastime).
However, there are some indications that Daylight Saving Time had been practiced by ancient civilizations such as the Roman Empire. The Romans utilized water clocks to tell time and would use different scales in different months to suit solar time (a method of recording time using the Sun’s movement).
DST was first introduced in Canada in 1908, in Ontario. Other provinces would soon follow suit and adjust their clocks by one hour. And in 1918, DST was formally introduced by the Canadian government to increase productivity during both World Wars.
However it came to be, it is important to remember a few changes that need to be implemented in your home. It is not only the time that is changing but also the season. So, prepare for DST by closing crawl space vents, swapping clothes for winterwear, adjusting your sleep schedule, setting up emergency winter kits, and last but not least, don’t forget to change those clocks!
