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(meteorobs) DST times in Canada explained!
Some weeks ago, you may recall that I asked a question on this list on
behalf of Ms. Sandi Duncan, the Managing Editor of The Farmers' Almanac. She
was trying to verify if, in the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, Daylight
Saving Time (DST) began on the first Sunday in April not at 2 a.m., but at
12:01 a.m. -- and not ending until the final Sunday in October, again at
12:01 a.m. and not 2 a.m. (as is the case everywhere in the U.S.).
I received a number of replies, all stating that it was likely that New
Brunswick conformed to the 2 a.m. change and not 12:01 a.m. as Ms. Duncan was
told (by a resident of New Brunswick). However . . . it appears that the
12:01 a.m. time is indeed valid! Below is a message forwarded by Ms. Duncan
from Mr. Rob Douglas
Frequency and Time Institute for National Measurement Standards, National
Research Council in Canada. Also . . . specifically concerning New
Brunswick, more info can be had under the New Brunswick Time Definition Act
at:
http://wwwdot gov.nbdot ca/acts/acts/t-06.htmI. I thought all of this provided
some interesting information worth sharing even if a bit off-topic!
-- joe rao
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sandi,
The change to (and from) Daylight Saving Time happens in the middle
of the night, on the same night across North America (for those places
using Daylight Saving Time). In most places this is done at 2:00 am local
time. In Canada, Daylight Saving Time is a matter for provincial
legislation, and there are variations in the exact wording for "the middle
of the night": most places observing Daylight Time do use 02:00 am local
time, but Manitoba uses "2:00 am Standard TIme - meaning 2:00 local time in
the spring, and 3:00 local time in the autumn. New Brunswick and
Newfoundland legislation specify a changeover time of 00:01 am local time -
one minute after midnight. Midnight is avoided simply to clarify that the
time refers to (one minute after) midnight between Saturday and the
last/first Sunday of October/April, rather than the midnight between Sunday
and Monday. In Canadian legal boilerplate, this use of 00:01 or 12:01 is a
common means of specifying a time near noon or midnight unambiguously.
There have been some consequences to this - liquor licences that
specify Sunday closing were traditionally strictly observed. As the last
Sunday of October began, these establishments would close - for one minute,
until it was Saturday night again for a further 59 minutes.
Rob Douglas
Frequency and Time
Institute for National Measurement Standards
National Research Council Canada
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R6
Tel: (613) 993-5186
Fax: (613)952-1394
rob.douglas@nrcdot ca
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