Ontario's Daylight Saving Starts This Weekend & Here's Why It's Still Not Permanent

Daylight saving time will once again push Ontario clocks ahead by an hour this weekend, despite ongoing efforts to save residents some sleep.

DST will begin at 2 a.m. on March 13, 2022. In other words, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, it'll actually become 3 a.m. on your clock. So, if you're someone who likes to get up early and get things done on Sunday, you might feel like you've lost some time.

If you're wondering why we still have something that leads to audible groans every spring, the answer is that the Ontario government is looking to eliminate time changes, but it's complicated.

In November 2020, Ontario passed MPP Jeremy Roberts' Bill 214, or the Time Amendment Act, to end bi-annual time changes and make daylight saving time the standard, year-round time.

However, though the bill received royal assent, the Lieutenant Governor must proclaim it into force for anything to change.

It will also only come into effect if it is confirmed that the neighbouring jurisdictions of New York state and Quebec will also make the switch, which has yet to happen.

Until then, DST is still a thing, which is a shame because, according to the Canadian Sleep Society, the time change really does a number on the quality of people's rest.

"Indeed, not only does DST induce sleep deprivation at its inception in the spring but it enforces later darkness during the summer, favoring delayed bedtime, social jetlag and more sleep loss," the CSS says.

Daylight saving time is set to end again on November 6, 2022.