Earlier this week, some Albertans woke up wondering what time it was. However, the answer wasn’t as simple as it should have been.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, Alberta officially switched to Alberta Time (ABT) instead of the semi-annual tradition of changing clocks to match either Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) or Mountain Standard Time (MST).
Some Calgarians found their digital clocks failed to switch to the new Alberta Time, while others switched correctly. Several Calgarians were left confused about how to figure out the correct time.
“I was late to class,” said Marvin Miller, a student at the University of Calgary. “My alarm was supposed to go off at six, but my phone still gained an hour. The worst part was that I didn’t even realize I was late until I got there.”
Miller wasn’t the only student confused by digital clocks not updating correctly. Other students said they commonly felt like they struggled to know the current time, and even felt distrust in their phone’s own clock.
Users in the subreddit r/Calgary also shared their confusion with comments
“I sat in my car and realized I had three different times on the clocks around me; the problem was, at that moment I didn’t know if I was an hour late for my kids’ sporting event or stupidly early for the grocery store.”
Phones, laptops, and search engines such as Google are displaying different times.
Other users reported that the Transit app was not displaying public transit schedules correctly, confusing riders, and that the parking meters charged an additional hour.
Microsoft says users with Outlook and Exchange Online do not migrate automatically and will remediate recurring meetings planned for Nov. 4 with ongoing development. It is recommended you review the various products regularly to fix any impacts and to always check for updates on your technological devices and computers.
What’s changed?
Alberta has adopted a permanent daylight time system instead of switching with daylight saving time. The new Alberta Time was previously called Mountain Daylight Time. Alberta Time subtracts six hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-6).
Permanent daylight time keeps clocks the same all year round without needing Albertans to move clocks backwards in November and forward in March.
The Government of Alberta has maps and information on how the province’s Alberta’s new time zone will look year round compared to neighbouring jurisdictions.
Why the change?
In 2021, Alberta held a referendum on whether the province should move towards a permanent time system. 50.2 per cent of the 1,068,656 ballots voted to keep changing the clocks.
However, earlier this year, Premier Danielle Smith announced that Alberta would be adopting permanent daylight time instead of adjusting time changes.
Manitoba and the Northwest Territories have also moved towards a permanent daylight time system on Nov. 1. This follows British Columbia after the province moved to permanent daylight time back in March of this year.
The provincial government listed several benefits of changing to permanent daylight time, including improving predictability for services, reducing frustrations tied to clock changes, and less confusion for individuals who cross borders for business.
Local digital clocks will adjust correctly as Alberta Time becomes more standardized throughout the week.