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Premier John Horgan hints at daylight saving changes after record-breaking survey response

B.C.’s largest public consultation saw more than 220,000 residents respond to time change survey
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At an announcement at the BC Cancer Centre in Victoria on Monday, Premier John Horgan (right) hinted that British Columbians voted to stay in Daylight Saving Time permanently. (Nicole Crescenzi/News Staff)

There are many things British Columbians are vocal about in the political realm: gasoline, the fishing industry, cannabis, pipelines and whales. Yet none of these were the topic to break the province’s record for public consultation. Instead, that victory goes to Daylight Saving Time.

In one month, 223,273 people took part in an online survey to tell the province their stance on the time construct. For years many have advocated that “falling back” and “leaping forward” were outdated and needed to go, and B.C. Premier John Horgan hinted Monday that the survey continued to point in that direction.

ALSO READ: Should B.C. get rid of daylight saving time?

“I’ve got a good idea of where they’re leaning,” Horgan said of survey respondents. “They did so with 20-30,000 emails initially, and now by participating in what is the largest public consultation in B.C. history. I did not expect that type of response, but certainly there is one and when we have the information we’ll make it available to the public.”

Part of the process, Horgan added, would be making sure to align times with economic partners who are transitioning to permanently staying in Daylight Saving Time.

“Washington and Oregon have passed legislation, and California had a referendum which was overwhelmingly in favour of that,” Horgan said. “The difference is in the United States they require an act of congress, in Canada, we require a decision by the provincial government so we’ll look at that and make a decision at the right time.”

ALSO READ: B.C. offers to work with U.S. states on daylight saving time

More than 98,000 surveys were completed on the Lower Mainland, followed by more than 62,000 on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, 33,500 in Thomson Okanagan, 12,209 in the Kootenays, and more than 7,300 in the Cariboo Region.

More than 48 per cent of respondents were between the ages of 40 and 64, while another 29 per cent were between 18 and 39 years old.

nicole.crescenzi@vicnews.com


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