Ontario residents will soon have to “spring forward” as daylight saving time (DST) begins on Sunday, March 9 at 2 a.m.—despite ongoing efforts to eliminate the time change.
Under current legislation, clocks will move forward one hour in March and fall back again on November 2, 2025. However, not all parts of Canada follow this practice—Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, and certain areas of British Columbia and Quebec remain on standard time year-round.
Research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has linked daylight saving time to increased hospital admissions, car accidents, and higher stress levels. The disruption to sleep patterns can also negatively affect mental health, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function.
Recognizing these concerns, the Ontario government passed the Time Amendment Act in 2020, proposing to permanently adopt daylight saving time—but only if Quebec and New York State did the same. While Quebec launched a public consultation on the issue in late 2024, no official changes have been made yet.
The debate over daylight saving time continues beyond Ontario. Before taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he wanted to eliminate daylight saving time, calling it “inconvenient and costly”. If the U.S. and neighboring provinces take action, Ontario could eventually make the switch as well.
For now, be prepared to lose an hour of sleep on March 9—and enjoy the longer evenings ahead.