Clocks Don't Go Back Just Yet!

Did you stumble into work this morning an hour late because you thought the clocks were supposed to be turned back on Sunday morning? If so, there was probably a crowd of co-workers waiting by the door to laugh uncontrollably as you strolled in! This is historically the weekend that we're permitted to literally turn back time. But, as of this year, daylight savings time in Canada ends on the first Sunday in November, rather than the last in October. Saskatchewan is the one exception.

The reason for all the confusion is actually a good one: to help save energy. Daylight savings was extended to 34 weeks in the U.S. based on a U.S. legislation move in 2005. This means that it began three weeks earlier this year, and will end one week later. This year, Canada is following suit with the change, which CTV claims proposes to save "up to 100,000 barrels of oil in the U.S. for every day of extra daylight." In my eyes, an extra hour of sleep is an extra hour of sleep, and it's appreciated no matter what weekend it might fall. And if it helps to save energy, more power (or rather less!) to ya!

As for those who didn't quite catch on to the change, don't fret: you're not alone. Although my Rogers Wireless handset picked up on the new time change schedule, and didn't turn back an hour (let's see if it does turn back next weekend!); my partner's Bell Mobility Blackberry did incorrectly back-track by 60 minutes. My office PC proudly continues to illustrate the proper time, but my landline phone wrongly chucked back an hour.

[Image used from http://www.funnyhub.com/].