Should We Stop Changing the Clocks? It’s About More Than Convenience

… What We Should Measure Going Forward

If provinces move to permanent daylight saving time, they should not treat the decision as finished. They should commit to gathering evidence afterward, especially on how darker winter mornings affect students, families, and workers.

School boards, public-health units, and provincial ministries could track:

• Absenteeism and late arrivals, particularly during the darkest weeks of winter.

• Student alertness, fatigue, and well-being, using anonymous staff, parent, and student feedback.

• Traffic and pedestrian safety around schools, bus stops, and rural routes.

• Winter road-safety data, including collisions during morning and afternoon commuting periods, pedestrian and cyclist incidents, school-zone incidents, and crashes involving snow, slush, or ice.

• Effects on adolescents, whose sleep patterns already shift later and who may be especially vulnerable to early, dark morning commutes.

• Impacts on shift workers, outdoor workers, and families with early childcare or work routines.