Mike Campbell, a character in the Ernest Hemingway novel The Sun Also Rises, is asked about his financial trouble and how he went bankrupt. His response was “Gradually, then suddenly.” This is an often-quoted phrase that describes how many things in life which seem to be immovable, suddenly change.
It’s a phrase that I used recently when media asked me about the chances that Manitoba would do away with changing the clocks twice a year. This is a debate that has gone on for decades. My response to the reporter was that I believed that Manitoba was on the path to do away with the twice annual time change and that this was the type of thing that happens gradually and then suddenly.
And it appears that when it comes to ending the time change, suddenly has arrived. While there have been numerous attempts over the years to pass legislation to end the time change practice in Manitoba, it as never been successful. The lack of success wasn’t because there wasn’t sufficient support for the idea, but rather because there was a desire to see those around us, and the States directly to our south, enact similar changes. For a variety of reasons, mostly linked to trade, business and travel, Manitoba has till now not made the move to stop changing the clocks. Instead, successive provincial governments have chosen to wait until neighboring parts of the U.S. or other provinces made the move. In fact, Manitoba even supported legislation that indicated that when States such as Minnesota and North Dakota stopped changing the clock, Manitoba would follow as well.
And while the United States Congress has repeatedly decided to vote against the elimination of the time changes, it was the recent move by British Columbia to stop changing the clock (and in their case stay on daylight savings time), that moved things from gradually to suddenly in Manitoba. That decision, combined with the commitment by Alberta to review whether to follow B.C. and the Saskatchewan tradition of staying on one time, means there could soon be a western block that does not change the time in spring and fall.
Despite there being a Progressive Conservative bill currently in the Manitoba Legislature calling for the end of changing the clocks, Premier Wab Kinew said this issue was not a priority for his government and that there would be no change coming. That was a continuation of the gradual part. The sudden part came just this past week when, following a flood of emails and comments, the Premier said it was time to end the time change practice.
It now appears that all Parties are aligned and in agreement on the issue of stopping the time change. But the real question, and the one that has always been more divisive, is whether to stay on daylight savings time (to help extend sunlight into the evening in summer), or to remain on standard time (which results in more light in the morning during the winter). Mr. Kinew immediately stated his preference for standard time, while most polls show that Manitobans would prefer daylight savings time. The Premier promised that there would be consultation with Manitobans to determine which time to stay on, once and for all.
But for Manitobans who have long wanted to stop the fall and spring time change, it appears that their time has come. No pun intended.
