The context
A generation out of breath
Researchers from UQAC and Université de Sherbrooke repeated the 1982 shuttle run test with 3,725 students in six Québec towns. At age 17, aerobic fitness has dropped by about 18% in boys and 12% in girls4.
A December evening, after school
It’s 5 PM. It’s already dark.
Québec is choosing the time it will keep all year. The best choice: daylight time.
Standard time: on December 15 at 5 PM, the sun has been down since 4:11 PM.
The essentials in 30 seconds
Why daylight time?
The figures for
- Light +233 h of light a year, while we’re awake. About 38 more minutes a day in Montréal, based on Quebecers’ sleep hours (Statistics Canada).
- June, on standard time 4:05 AM The sun would rise while we sleep. In Montréal. And it would set at 7:47 PM.
- Safety +98% more crashes injuring a pedestrian, between 5 and 8 PM In the month after the clocks fall back, compared with the month before (SAAQ).
- Our neighbours 8 months out of step with New York and our neighbours, on standard time. Four months with daylight time.
- Public opinion 56% of Quebecers prefer daylight time. Versus 29% for standard time (Angus Reid, March 2026).
Why daylight time?
Clocks don’t create light. They decide whether we spend it asleep or awake.
In summer, on standard time, the sun would rise around 4 AM. At that hour, almost everyone is asleep: we would spend that hour of light in bed. Daylight time moves it to the end of the day, when we are awake. The sleep hours reported by Quebecers aged 15 and over to Statistics Canada let us count it.
The figures for
Morning −127 h
Afternoon and evening +360 h
With daylight time, in total +233 h of light a year while we’re awake
Average per person, based on the sleep hours reported by Quebecers to Statistics Canada12. We assume people sleep at the same clock times whichever time is chosen. This is available light, not time spent outdoors.
Morning −119 h
Afternoon and evening +360 h
With daylight time, in total +241 h of light a year while we’re awake
Average per person, based on the sleep hours reported by Quebecers to Statistics Canada12. We assume people sleep at the same clock times whichever time is chosen. This is available light, not time spent outdoors.
Morning −111 h
Afternoon and evening +360 h
With daylight time, in total +249 h of light a year while we’re awake
Average per person, based on the sleep hours reported by Quebecers to Statistics Canada12. We assume people sleep at the same clock times whichever time is chosen. This is available light, not time spent outdoors.
233 hours a year means 38 more minutes of light every day, on average, if everyone keeps their sleep hours. See the calculation, town by town, and its limits
And where you live?
All 1,190 municipalities in Québec are calculated. In general, the further east, the bigger the gain.
What about summer?
On June 21, on standard time, the sun would rise at 4:05 AM in Montréal. Almost everyone is asleep.
The figures for
- Gaspé 3:14 AM
- Rimouski 3:32 AM
- Québec City 3:51 AM
- Saint-Georges 3:51 AM
- Montréal 4:05 AM
- Gatineau 4:14 AM
“No family is going to get up at 4 AM to go to the park.”
With daylight time, the sun would rise between 4:14 AM and 5:14 AM in these towns: still before most people wake up. Daylight time gives that hour of light back to the evening.
An hour of sunshine spent in bed, every summer morning. And the evenings?And the evenings?
Standard time isn’t just about winter. It means one hour less sunshine every evening, from spring to fall.
Today, we live on daylight time 238 days a year. Keeping standard time means moving all those evenings back by an hour. On June 21 in Montréal, the sun would set at 7:47 PM instead of 8:47 PM.
Evenings, with daylight time
One more hour of light, when we can enjoy it.
8:47 PM sunset on June 21 in Montréal, instead of 7:47 PM
- Patios
- Golf
- Little league
- Cycling
- Dinner outside
- Back from the cottage
The figures for
What time does the sun set in Montréal?
- Daylight time: the sun is never down at 5 PM
- Standard time: sun already down at 5 PM on 103 days a year
What time does the sun set in Québec City?
- Daylight time: sun down at 5 PM on 26 days a year
- Standard time: sun already down at 5 PM on 118 days a year
What time does the sun set in Rimouski?
- Daylight time: sun down at 5 PM on 60 days a year
- Standard time: sun already down at 5 PM on 133 days a year
What about our kids?
Evening light is the light kids use.
After school is time for the park, soccer, outdoor hockey and biking. As long as it’s still light out.
More active when the sun sets late
Among 23,000 children in nine countries wearing accelerometers, physical activity was a little higher on days when the sun set later5. The average effect is small, and it varies from country to country.
In December, after school
4:13 PM 5:13 PM
Sunset on December 21 in Montréal, on standard time and then on daylight time. One more hour of light to play outside after school.
What about dark mornings? Christian Duval suggests adapting school rather than the clock: starting one hour later from December 1 to March 13. See the solutions for mornings
Evening is also rush hour. What about safety?What about safety?
The trip home is more dangerous in the dark. Daylight time adds an hour of light to it, all winter long.
+98%
more crashes injuring a pedestrian between 5 and 8 PM, in the 30 days after the clocks fall back, compared with the 30 days before. For all injury crashes: +22%6.
SAAQ data, 2025. This before-and-after comparison does not isolate the effect of the clock: the season changes too. But it shows how much rush-hour darkness exposes pedestrians. On standard time, much of the evening rush hour would be in the dark from November to February.
Fewer robberies in the evening
In the United States, one more hour of evening light: about 7% fewer robberies, and 27% fewer in the hour that gains the light7. In Chile: about 30% fewer between 7 and 9 PM, the hours that gained the light8.
Pedestrians first
Pedestrians and cyclists are the most sensitive to darkness9. Models in the United States and the United Kingdom estimate a road safety balance in favour of evening light1011.
Moose and deer
In the United States, collisions with deer rise by 16% after the clocks fall back: the animals move at dusk, and rush hour falls right into it12.
What about our neighbours?
Québec chooses its own time, and Ontario wants to coordinate with it.
In Canada, each province sets its own time. Québec’s is written into a Québec law, and the National Assembly is the one that will change it13. Ontario passed a law in 2020 to keep daylight time all year, but has not brought it into force: in October 2026, its government said it wants to coordinate with Québec and New York State1415. In the United States, the House of Representatives voted for daylight time in July 202616. Daylight time has the advantage of keeping Québec on Northeast time for most of the year.
Daylight time all year
127 days in winter, one hour ahead. None if Ontario and New York also keep daylight time.
Standard time all year
238 days from spring to fall, one hour behind.
Same time One hour apart
Gatineau and Ottawa
On standard time, Gatineau would be one hour behind Ottawa from spring to fall. One bridge to cross, one hour of difference.
Gaspésie and New Brunswick
With daylight time, the same time as New Brunswick all winter. On standard time, two hours apart in summer17.
Business
Shops come alive late in the day. In Los Angeles, card spending drops by 3.5% when daylight time ends, according to an analysis of bank transactions18. An indication, not a complete measure.
All across Western Canada, clocks no longer fall back.
British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba: all chose daylight time in 2026, after Yukon and Saskatchewan192021. Northwestern Ontario follows Manitoba15.
Saskatchewan is not on standard time, even though you often read that it is. Its law says “Central Standard Time”, but the province lies in the Mountain time zone: Regina and Saskatoon are near the 105th meridian. Keeping Central time all year is therefore permanent daylight time for it. The sun is highest around 1 PM, as in Québec in summer2223.
See the timeline and clocks- Permanent daylight time
- Fixed time since 1966 (a daylight time*)
- Law passed, pending
- Québec is deciding
- Still changes the clocks
What do Quebecers think?
Over 214,000 responses. Nearly three in four for daylight time.
Government consultation, fall 2024: 91% of respondents want to stop changing the clocks. Of those, 72% want to keep daylight time, and 25% standard time2425.
- 72 want to keep daylight saving time all year
- 25 want to keep standard time
- 3 other answers
Out of 100 respondents who want to stop changing the clocks. It was an online consultation open to all: participants selected themselves. See the figures
And the polls? They say the same thing.
Léger · Québec · September 2024
57% vs 18%
of Quebecers prefer daylight time all year; 18% prefer standard time26.
Léger/Québecor poll, weighted web panel, 1,004 adults. The rest: 11% for neither, 14% don’t know.
Angus Reid · Québec · March 2026
56% vs 29%
of Quebecers prefer daylight time all year; 29% prefer standard time, 15% changing the clocks27.
Weighted online poll of 3,025 Canadians; Québec result from the detailed tables. Canada-wide: 53% vs 33%.
What about sleep specialists?
Sleep matters. It is not the only criterion.
Sleep specialists recommend standard time2829. Their arguments deserve a hearing. Here is what is solid, what is less so, and what a public decision must weigh as well.
Changing the clocks hurts
In the week of the March jump, fatal crashes rise by about 6% in the United States30. These are the best-documented effects. Both options eliminate them.
Morning light sets the body clock
This is the central argument for standard time, especially for teenagers. It is serious. But no known study has measured the full balance of the two permanent times in Québec, and some spectacular figures in circulation come from models that were corrected or disputed3132.
A decision for society
Sleep matters. So does everything else.
Evenings, safety, children’s activity, the economy, our neighbours’ time and the will of citizens matter too. Sleep specialists shed light on part of the question. It is up to elected officials to weigh it all.
Winter mornings
The trade-off: darker mornings in December and January.
At the solstice, the sun would rise in Montréal at 8:31 AM instead of 7:31 AM. That is earlier than in Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam today.
Rather than setting all of Québec’s clocks for its darkest mornings, we can adapt those mornings:
- Later high school start times in winter. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not starting before 8:30 AM33; California made it law for its high schools34. Christian Duval suggests starting one hour later from December 1 to March 13.
- Well-lit routes around schools and bus stops.
- Flexibility in work schedules, where possible.
- Independent monitoring of the effects, as the CMAJ proposes if daylight time is chosen29.
- Rimouski daylight time all year8:23 AM
- Québec City daylight time all year8:27 AM
- Montréal daylight time all year8:31 AM
- Paris today (standard time)8:41 AM
- Brussels today (standard time)8:43 AM
- Amsterdam today (standard time)8:48 AM
- Vancouver permanent daylight time since 20269:05 AM
- Saskatoon fixed time since 19669:13 AM
So, which one?
Criterion by criterion, what each time offers.
Every criterion in the debate, including those that favour standard time, with how solid our knowledge is. All things considered, the balance tips toward daylight time.
The figures for
- The end of the time change No more jump in March or fall back in November, with either time. In the week of the March jump, fatal crashes rise by about 6% in the United States. 30 Well establishedTie
- Light while we’re awake Year-round tally in Montréal, mornings included: 127 fewer hours in the morning, 360 more in the afternoon and evening, for 233 more hours. On June 21, standard time would make the sun rise at 4:05 AM; on December 21, daylight time would make it set at 5:13 PM instead of 4:13 PM. Sleep hours of people aged 15 and over, assumed unchanged. 12 Calculation, official dataDaylight time
- Winter mornings On December 21, sunrise at 7:31 AM instead of 8:31 AM. More morning commutes in the dark in December and January. CalculationStandard time
- Body clock and sleep Sleep specialists recommend standard time: morning light helps set the body clock, especially in teenagers. The net health gain, compared with permanent daylight time, has not been measured. 2829 Solid mechanism, effect not quantifiedStandard time
- Children’s physical activity A little more activity, on average, on days when the sun sets late (23,000 children, 9 countries). Observational study. 5 Moderate evidence, small effectDaylight time
- Evening safety Fewer robberies when evenings are light. Pedestrians are highly exposed to darkness at rush hour; the net road toll, mornings included, is still debated. 7635 Moderate evidence, net road toll debatedDaylight time
- Our neighbours’ time If they keep changing the clocks, 127 days a year out of step with Ontario and New York instead of 238. None with Ontario if it brings its daylight time law into force. 1415 CalendarDaylight time
- What Quebecers want Léger, 2024: 57% for daylight time all year, 18% for standard time. Angus Reid, 2026: 56% versus 29% in Québec. 2627 2024 and 2026 pollsDaylight time
- The electricity bill No estimate exists for daylight time in winter and Hydro-Québec’s peaks, in the morning or late in the day. 3637 UnknownUnknown
These criteria do not carry the same weight or the same certainty, and they do not add up like points. Weighing them is the job of elected officials.
- The end of the time change No more jump in March or fall back in November, with either time. In the week of the March jump, fatal crashes rise by about 6% in the United States. 30 Well establishedTie
- Light while we’re awake Year-round tally in Québec City, mornings included: 119 fewer hours in the morning, 360 more in the afternoon and evening, for 241 more hours. On June 21, standard time would make the sun rise at 3:51 AM; on December 21, daylight time would make it set at 4:59 PM instead of 3:59 PM. Sleep hours of people aged 15 and over, assumed unchanged. 12 Calculation, official dataDaylight time
- Winter mornings On December 21, sunrise at 7:27 AM instead of 8:27 AM. More morning commutes in the dark in December and January. CalculationStandard time
- Body clock and sleep Sleep specialists recommend standard time: morning light helps set the body clock, especially in teenagers. The net health gain, compared with permanent daylight time, has not been measured. 2829 Solid mechanism, effect not quantifiedStandard time
- Children’s physical activity A little more activity, on average, on days when the sun sets late (23,000 children, 9 countries). Observational study. 5 Moderate evidence, small effectDaylight time
- Evening safety Fewer robberies when evenings are light. Pedestrians are highly exposed to darkness at rush hour; the net road toll, mornings included, is still debated. 7635 Moderate evidence, net road toll debatedDaylight time
- Our neighbours’ time If they keep changing the clocks, 127 days a year out of step with Ontario and New York instead of 238. None with Ontario if it brings its daylight time law into force. 1415 CalendarDaylight time
- What Quebecers want Léger, 2024: 57% for daylight time all year, 18% for standard time. Angus Reid, 2026: 56% versus 29% in Québec. 2627 2024 and 2026 pollsDaylight time
- The electricity bill No estimate exists for daylight time in winter and Hydro-Québec’s peaks, in the morning or late in the day. 3637 UnknownUnknown
These criteria do not carry the same weight or the same certainty, and they do not add up like points. Weighing them is the job of elected officials.
- The end of the time change No more jump in March or fall back in November, with either time. In the week of the March jump, fatal crashes rise by about 6% in the United States. 30 Well establishedTie
- Light while we’re awake Year-round tally in Rimouski, mornings included: 111 fewer hours in the morning, 360 more in the afternoon and evening, for 249 more hours. On June 21, standard time would make the sun rise at 3:32 AM; on December 21, daylight time would make it set at 4:41 PM instead of 3:41 PM. Sleep hours of people aged 15 and over, assumed unchanged. 12 Calculation, official dataDaylight time
- Winter mornings On December 21, sunrise at 7:23 AM instead of 8:23 AM. More morning commutes in the dark in December and January. CalculationStandard time
- Body clock and sleep Sleep specialists recommend standard time: morning light helps set the body clock, especially in teenagers. The net health gain, compared with permanent daylight time, has not been measured. 2829 Solid mechanism, effect not quantifiedStandard time
- Children’s physical activity A little more activity, on average, on days when the sun sets late (23,000 children, 9 countries). Observational study. 5 Moderate evidence, small effectDaylight time
- Evening safety Fewer robberies when evenings are light. Pedestrians are highly exposed to darkness at rush hour; the net road toll, mornings included, is still debated. 7635 Moderate evidence, net road toll debatedDaylight time
- Our neighbours’ time If they keep changing the clocks, 127 days a year out of step with Ontario and New York instead of 238. None with Ontario if it brings its daylight time law into force. 1415 CalendarDaylight time
- What Quebecers want Léger, 2024: 57% for daylight time all year, 18% for standard time. Angus Reid, 2026: 56% versus 29% in Québec. 2627 2024 and 2026 pollsDaylight time
- The electricity bill No estimate exists for daylight time in winter and Hydro-Québec’s peaks, in the morning or late in the day. 3637 UnknownUnknown
These criteria do not carry the same weight or the same certainty, and they do not add up like points. Weighing them is the job of elected officials.
131 days until the next time change, on March 14, 2027
What can I do?
If we choose daylight time, it will be our last time change.
In the spring, we would spring forward one last time, then keep that time all year. The decision belongs to the National Assembly: our MNAs need to know what you want.
Your turn
Québec is deciding now.
MNAs will vote. Two minutes is all it takes to tell them you want to keep daylight saving time all year.
Now what?
Your turn.
Calculate, understand, convince. Everything works on your phone, with no account and no tracking.
- Calculate my sunlight Your town, your schedule: how many hours of daylight you gain. Calculate my sunlight
- Write to my MNA Postal code, MNA, a ready letter with your town’s figures. Write my letter
- The regions map Watch darkness sweep across Québec, region by region. See the map
Sharing kit
Spread the word.
Twenty-three different images, some of them funny, for Facebook, Instagram and stories. Every figure is checked. A share reaches more people than a letter.
Open the kitGo further
- The brief for MNAs The essentials on one page, region by region, to print or forward.
- True or false? 11 statements to test what you really know.
- Our neighbours have chosen The West no longer falls back. Clocks, timeline, Ontario.
- What the science says Every claim with its level of evidence, for and against.
- Your questions, answered Morning buses, sleep doctors, Ontario, electricity…
Also: a page for each of the 1,190 municipalities · the light calculation · the 2024 consultation · all sources