Aligning with Manitoba: Permanent Time for the Northwest

There is something almost quaint about the twice-yearly ritual of changing clocks—the small disruption that reminds us how arbitrary time can be, how much of it is convention rather than nature. For most of Ontario, that ritual will continue. But for communities in the province’s northwest, the ritual is about to end. On November 1, they will not fall back. They will stay where they are, and they will stay there.

Ontario has announced that parts of the northwest region will move to permanent daylight time, aligning with Manitoba, which made the same decision last month . The change applies to areas west of the 90th meridian—essentially, communities in the central time zone, from the English River to the Manitoba border. Thunder Bay and other communities in the eastern time zone are not affected .

Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said the decision came after consultations with municipalities, First Nations, and businesses. “What ended up coming back was overwhelmingly unanimous, 90 to 94 per cent from every survey,” he said . The province intends to make a regulatory change under the Time Act on November 1 .

For Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier, the alignment with Manitoba is a matter of common sense. “Manitoba really is where, not only just economically and that, but socially, that’s where our connection is,” he said . A city survey drew nearly 5,300 responses, with just over 93 percent in favor of the change .

Rickford noted that health entities had also weighed in, asking for a decision that would involve “the least amount of time zones possible” to avoid disrupting electronic medical records and appointment planning between Manitoba and Thunder Bay . “Providing certainty and predictability is essential to supporting strong communities and a competitive economy,” Attorney General Doug Downey said in a statement .

The change affects less than one percent of Ontario’s population . The rest of the province will still set clocks back on November 1, as a 2020 law to make daylight time permanent province-wide remains contingent on agreement from Quebec and New York state—an agreement that has not been reached .

For the communities of northwestern Ontario, the decision brings an end to a small but persistent inconvenience—a biannual adjustment that set them out of step with the province they belong to and the province they trade with. Beginning November 1, they will be on Manitoba time, permanently. And the clocks, for once, will stay still.

AI Image Disclaimer: The imagery in this article was generated using artificial intelligence for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual communities or individuals described.

Sources: The Canadian Press, CBC News, The Globe and Mail, The Spec, Ontario NDP