Making the case for Standard Time
To the Editor:
Many of you may not yet have heard about the possibility of year-round Daylight-Saving Time being proposed by the Ontario government, and the United States.
Nov. 6, we changed the clocks back one hour and returned to Standard Time. This is the time I believe we should stay in as it is closer to the natural rhythm of the sun.
I believe we certainly need to do away with the twice-annual time changes and keep it to a set time all through the year but this needs to be set on Standard Time and not the synthetic, fictitious “Daylight” Savings Time (DST) we use in the spring and summer.
According to certain news documents, the Ontario government is proposing to keep the clock on DST all year round if Quebec and the United States agree to do the same. I believe this is a terrible mistake, as this would mean that the sun would not rise until at least 9 a.m. in most locales in southern Ontario during December and January.
It was hard enough getting up in the morning in October and early November during DST, but using it during winter would make it even more difficult to get up in the mornings;
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/03/16/daylight-saving-bill-health-effects/.
I fear that this proposal, if enacted, would create many drowsy driving issues in the mornings, leading to potential accidents due to inattentive driving. School kids would be forced to get on school buses in the dark, and many drivers might not be able to see them; this could be potentially disastrous.
Most sleep experts agree that DST negatively affects sleep patterns, and our bodies need that morning light to kick-start our day, while darker evenings help lull us into a better sleeping routine. In short, Standard Time helps regulate the balance between the melatonin and cortisol levels in our bodies. Without this regulation, our immune systems might suffer, leading to more illnesses.
I hope people will take this issue seriously, as year-round DST was already tried in the United States back in the 1970s, and after it was initially well-received, its popularity plummeted because of the excessively dark mornings, groggy drivers, and increased morning fatalities during the winter of 1974.
There is no reason not to believe that the exact same thing would happen in Ontario if year-round DST were observed here. I can just imagine what morning commutes would look like in places like Kitchener, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), London, Hamilton, and Barrie, if DST is observed during winter.
I, therefore, invite you to please consider the benefits of Standard Time, and show support for year-round Standard Time. I truly believe it’s the best thing for the health and well-being of all. It’s not only the best time, it is the ONLY correct time.
Mike Dickerson
Kincardine
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