The history of how daylight saving time started in Alberta

Alberta is ditching daylight saving time this November, bringing an end to the twice-yearly clock changes that have been around for decades.

Starting on Nov. 1, 2026, the province will no longer switch between Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) and Mountain Standard Time (MST) throughout the year. Instead, Alberta will stay on a new system called “Alberta Time,” or ABT.

The change is intended to reduce the disruptions that come with changing clocks twice a year, according to the Government of Alberta. But while the province is moving away from the practice, daylight saving time has been around in Canada for more than 100 years.

Government of Alberta

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, daylight saving time was introduced in Canada in 1918 as a way to increase production during the First World War. The idea was to make better use of daylight by moving clocks forward in the spring, giving people more daylight in the evening.

Daylight saving time stopped after the war ended, but was brought back during the Second World War, when Canada kept the clocks ahead year-round.

After the war, different municipalities across Canada began setting their own rules for daylight saving time. Provinces eventually stepped in to regulate when clocks would change to help keep things consistent.

In 1971, Alberta held a province-wide plebiscite asking voters whether they supported daylight saving time. According to Elections Canada, 61.5 per cent voted in favour, compared to 38.5 per cent who voted against it, and the first time change happened in 1972.

In 2007, Canada adopted the current schedule of moving clocks forward in March and back in November, following a similar change in the United States. The move was partly aimed at keeping schedules consistent between the two countries for trade, travel, and communication.

Now, Alberta is moving away from that routine altogether. Under the new system, the province will stay on Alberta Time year-round, which is equivalent to UTC-6:00.

While this marks the first year the clocks will not be falling back, the Province says the transition to Alberta Time will continue to be reviewed once Albertans have experienced the new system.

“Alberta will monitor the transition to permanent Alberta Time closely and will gather feedback after the first full year of operating on permanent MDT to ensure the change is functioning as intended,” the website states.

How do you feel about the province moving to Alberta Time soon? Let us know in the comments below.