WHITEHORSE - Legislation tabled by the Yukon Party today would give the government the power to get rid of the practice of Daylight Saving Time after a legally mandated 60-day consultation.

If passed, the Act to Eliminate Daylight Saving Time would amend the Interpretation Act to give the government the mandate to set standard time and in turn, allow them to end the practice of daylight savings in the territory.

Last week, the Government of British Columbia tabled similar legislation following a consultation process that found 93 percent of respondents in favour of the change.

As outlined in the proposed legislation, the Yukon government would be required to hold a public consultation with Yukoners for no less than 60 days prior to the Act coming into force. This would ask the questions: “Do you want the Yukon to eliminate the time change? And if so, do you want the Yukon to stay on Pacific Standard Time, or do you want to spring forward one hour, and use that as our new standard time?”

“In early 2018 the Yukon Party asked the Liberals to do the work and consult Yukoners on the possibility of eliminating Daylight Saving Time, but they have yet to make this a priority,” stated Wade Istchenko, MLA for Kluane. “Now that British Columbia has proposed to eliminate the practice and the Pacific U.S. states are looking do the same, we believe that Yukoners should be asked whether they want change as well. After two years of the Liberals not looking at this, the time of sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing is over. Yukoners want to have this conversation so it’s time to catch up.”

In May 2017, the Association of Yukon Communities passed a motion indicating that they would like the Government of Yukon to determine if there is a case for removing daylight savings time in the Yukon.

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Contact:
Madison Pearson
Communications
(867) 393-7026