By Lara Fominoff @fomsy1 on Twitter

Lethbridge residents get their say on Bill 203, Alberta Standard Time Act

Sep 15, 2017 | 4:07 PM

LETHBRIDGE – In front of the Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future, including Lethbridge-east MLA Maria Fitzpatrick, a number of residents expressed either very strong opposition or very strong support for Bill 203, the Alberta Standard Time Act. The committee was at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre in Lethbridge Friday afternoon, to gather input from the public.
 
Bill 203 proposes changing Daylight Saving Time in the province, to Standard Time. It would mean Alberta and Saskatchewan would be the only two provinces in the country on standard time, year round.
 
The Act was introduced as a Private Members’ Bill last April by Edmonton south-west MLA Edward Dang, who polled 26,000 people in his riding, on whether the province should eliminate Daylight Saving Time. More than 80 per cent agreed.
 
In Lethbridge, of those who made presentations to the committee, many did not like the idea at all, saying Alberta has more ties with B.C. than it does with Saskatchewan, that children would be walking to school in darkness more often, and that economically it doesn’t make sense.
 
“Our personal views have got to take second place to the effects on economics,” said one woman. “The commercial people, the businesses…it will affect them. I don’t blame the airlines and Edmonton Airport and Calgary Airport saying what are you doing to us?”
 
Another man who addressed the panel, said he couldn’t believe that a small number of people in one constituency created the current process, calling it “a bunch of balderdash, and one heck of a waste of time.”
 
Still, at least one local astronomer said the time change would benefit our health, according to some studies.
 
“Today, with light, we can be immersed in light 24/7. What we’re now finding…is how important darkness is to all species… We are a society that is starved for darkness. Just like there is corrections in the marketplace, maybe this is a correction that we really need.”

For more information, go to http://assembly.ab.ca.

If passed, the act would come into force on November 2, 2018.