Daylight Savings Time (DST) started over 100 years ago, and experts agree it has negative effects on our health. While Ontario passed legislation in November 2020 to bring an end to the bi-annual time change, the decision was to make Daylight Savings Time - rather than Standard Time - permanent to align with Quebec and New York City. (Note that actually ending the bi-annual time change is still dependant on other provinces and our neighbours to the south following suit.)

While permanent DST seems better than changing the clocks twice a year, I would like to petition our leaders to make a more health-inclined decision and opt for Standard Time as the permanent solution. Ontario can lead by example rather than be a follower. 

DST would mean longer evenings, where the sun would set closer to bedtime, but the morning hours will have an increased amount of time in darkness. In Toronto, our earliest sunrise is in June (~5:30am) and the latest sunrises occur in late December/early January (~8am). Experts warn that the increase in morning darkness, especially during the already difficult winter months, would lead to an increase in longer-term negative health effects.

To illustrate the differences between DST and Standard Time: On DST the earliest sunrise would still be in June at 5:30am, while sunrises in December and January would be at 9am! On Standard Time, the earliest sunrise would be in June at 4:30am, and latest would continue to be in December and January at 8am.

It cannot be justified to have more daylight in the evenings (when our bodies should be winding down and preparing for sleep) and more darkness in the mornings (when the natural sunlight is needed to wake us out of sleep and ensure we are alert for the remainder of the day).

Melatonin is a hormone that facilitates sleep and its production is affected by light. The pineal gland in the brain responds to darkness by producing melatonin - thus increasing drowsiness and sleep. Light, on the other hand, triggers a reduction of melatonin. This natural cycle of melatonin production is critical in creating a normalized circadian rhythm and sleep-wake schedule. DST does not align with the natural sleep cycle.

In summary, the undersigned petition the government to involve experts who specialize in sleep (hormones, circadian rhythm) when making a decision on selecting between daylight savings or standard time. We would prefer extra hours of darkness at night to enjoy the beautiful, mysterious night sky and more brilliant, warm sunlight in the mornings when we need to get up and ready for the day.

We, as a society, are trying to work towards more healthy decisions in our lives, and this should not be a decision taken lightly. Our decisions about our health today will save the government in healthcare spending down the road.