Quebec plans to end seasonal clock changes

Quebec intends to end its twice-yearly clock changes, Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Oct. 28, while leaving open whether the province will adopt permanent daylight or standard time. The government has not yet established that the change will become law. St-Pierre Plamondon said Quebecers would still turn their clocks back this weekend. The planned change will not affect the Nov. 1 switch to standard time, and he described it as likely the final fall-back under the government’s intention. The premier said specialists would be consulted in the coming months to help determine which time standard Quebec should keep. He also said a short parliamentary commission would be part of the process. The choice could affect morning and evening daylight differently. Permanent daylight time would bring later winter sunsets but also later sunrises, while permanent standard time would provide earlier morning light. The premier cited health concerns and the difficulty some children face adjusting to clock changes as reasons for ending the practice. A medical analysis cited in one report concluded that health evidence favours permanent standard time, in part because it better aligns with...