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- March 9 - Time to spring ahead again
March 9 - Time to spring ahead again
But could trade war change Daylight Saving plans? US-Canada updates. Oak Bay food. Death on Johnson.
Capital Daily Team
March 09, 2025
Good morning !
We hope you enjoyed either your shorter than-usual sleep or later-than-usual wake-up.
Today we have our twice-annual coverage of the clock change and update on when, and if, BC's planned end to the switch could happen. This time we also touch on the effects that the BC-US trade war could have on that issue—along with a broader roundup of recent tariff and counter-tariff news.
Both of those first two main stories are available to all of you today, but remember that we'll be making more and more of this Sunday edition member-exclusive. We want to show our appreciation for all of you who are directly and generously supporting us in creating a newsletter every day. Please consider becoming one of those Insiders.
— Cam
Today’s approx. read time: 4 / 7 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
NEWS
The clocks are still changing—but US tensions could change the equation
City Hall clocktower file photo: James MacDonald / Capital Daily
It’s now been over half a decade since BC’s fall 2019 legislation to end the twice-annual switch. That move stemmed from a BC-wide public consultation in which 93% of the 223,273 survey respondents wanted to end the change.
Premier David Eby has, like his predecessor John Horgan, usually maintained that BC should wait to switch at the same time as the US West Coast states in order to avoid inconvenience in their trade relations. Over a third of US states have policies around changing to DST—but those are in limbo because they all depend on the federal government, which has not moved to make the change.
In the original survey, a slight majority of BCers did agree that aligning the switch with our neighbours was important.
A quick (though not fully serious) update from Premier
But when asked last week, a lighthearted Eby acknowledged not only that he gets the question twice every year—but also that this year's trade war adds a new dimension. He told Global that while BC has wanted to “stay in sync” with “our biggest trading partner,” the trade war could prompt him to “ponder" the issue again.
Yukon & Mexico pick permanent times, while US efforts have fallen back
Yukon has already enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time after a survey overwhelmingly supported it, like in BC. In Alberta, however, switching to permanent DST was defeated in a 2021 referendum question.
Further south, Mexico stopped its clock change two years ago and now remain on Standard Time—or, as then-president AMLO put it, “God's Clock.”
Some border towns were able to keep the changes due to their level of interaction with the US. Mexico did end up with a few unexpectedly chaotic days the first time it didn't spring forward; so many non-Mexican devices and institutions did change over that some digital services weren't working properly and many people ended up on different schedules.
Researchers reluctant about permanent DST
Mexico's case brings up the other key question: Not only whether we should have a permanent time, but which one it should be. A group of UBC and SFU researchers argued to the province that Standard Time, not Daylight, should become the norm, citing the mental health and road safety downsides of less morning light.
Capital Daily has covered some of those health concerns that inform advocates’ pitch on which switch BC should ditch—and collected some of you readers’ takes.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Winds of up to 60km/h near Juan de Fuca Strait today.
Mostly rainy days expected this week.
Avalanche risk high on Island mountains amid atmospheric river. [Weather Network]
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
BC-US trade updates: Counter-measures, Alaska trucking, Starlink contract
Local MLAs such as Lana Popham, Nina Krieger, Ravi Parmar, and Dana Lajeunesse were among those on hand for Thursday's counter-tariff announcements. BC Gov Flickr
BC tariff counters include tolls on trucks coming through to Alaska
Part of Thursday's announcement of proposed “unprecedented legislation" would levy fees on land shipment of goods between Washington and the northernmost state. Eby also said that despite indications Trump may back off of some tariffs, the limits on US liquor are among measures that will continue “until the threat is gone.”
Closer trade ties with other provinces
Another of the core proposals listed on Thursday was the reduction of interprovincial trade barriers, with Eby saying at the conference that BC would “never again put ourselves in the position of being so dependent on the United States.”
Eby on US TV last week to defend BC's counter-tariffs
The Premier told ABC News that Canadians have close ties to the US—including in his own family—but that the US is now “attacking a neighbour, a friend, and an ally.” He added that Canadians are “pissed off” at the “grievous insult” of Trump's tariff talks.
BC Ferries to launch internet procurement processes amid Starlink pilot project
Following Premier Doug Ford’s decision to scrap Ontario’s $100M contract with internet company Starlink—a subsidiary of Elon Musk’s SpaceX—the ferry company says it’s weighing its options for an internet provider. It’s currently running a pilot with Starlink to give internet access to crew members on board. BC Crown corps have been directed to buy Canadian, but BC Ferries is a private company owned by BC rather than an actual Crown corp.
Starlink is known for providing internet connectivity to remote areas, but the province said last month that it would no longer consider Starlink for such work.
BC film industry expects little harm from tariffs
The BC film commissioner and others expect business to be fairly healthy this year due to the low dollar, incentives to attract production (such as increased tax credits for Canadian production companies), and lack of direct tariffs on screen production. However, BC's film and TV industry—like many others—is still catching up after the 2023 strikes. [Global]
