Friday is the last day Albertans can let provincial legislators know whether they want to keep daylight time, as the province weighs whether to scrap the twice-a-year time change.
The province’s Standing Committee on Alberta's Economic Future has been holding public consultation hearings since Tuesday, listening to both sides of the debate. The hearings began in Edmonton and will wrap up in Lethbridge Friday.
The chair of the committee, Calgary-Shaw MLA Graham Sucha, says that the sessions so far have been mixed.
"I think the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce described it best when they surveyed their members that a third of them wanted us aligned with B.C., a third wanted to align closer to Saskatchewan and a third wanted us to keep the time zone the way it was. It's made the task not any easier for the committee,” he told reporters Thursday.
Edmonton-Southwest MLA Thomas Dang proposed Bill 203 -- the Alberta Standard Time Act -- earlier this year. He says the time change would put Alberta in step with its neighbours in Saskatchewan, where most of the province keeps the same time all year long. Alberta would be one hour ahead of British Columbia in the summer, but two hours ahead in the winter.
The committee has also accepted written submissions from the public and heard from more than 13,000 respondents. Of them, a full 74 per cent supported the bill to kill the time change.
Calgary resident Jason Sokolosky told the committee Thursday that he doesn't want the current system to change because it would be too dark in the summer for him to enjoy all his favourite outdoor activities. He also worries the time change would hamper trade with B.C. and investment in the province.
Another presenter, Dan Marko, said he would like to see daylight time disappear.
"I would like it to be one time all the time. I'm in IT and all the time in the fall and in the spring, it's a mess. So I would like it a lot if it would be one time. They should go with Saskatchewan time because every electronic device is set to Saskatchewan time, so it would be perfect."
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames say ditching daylight time would mean many games would be starting too late for fans to watch.
WestJet has expressed worry that ditching time changes would mean earlier morning departures from British Columbia for those travelling to Alberta and might even prompt some travellers to bypass stops in Alberta altogether.
The government is considering a referendum on the issue, but estimates it would cost between $2 million and $6 million to add a referendum ballot to a provincial election ballot. Holding a referendum on its own would cost nearly $22 million.
Some say that that cost would be worth it, including Calgary MLA Richard Gotfried.
"It will be a one-time cost to make that decision -- to give Albertans their voice -- versus what could be an ongoing cost of millions of dollars in lost economic opportunity for Alberta," he said.
Alberta has had Daylight Saving Time since 1971, and it’s been controversial ever since. Critics say it is an outdated concept that interrupts sleep patterns and causes confusion for little benefit. Others argue that most of the rest of the continent uses it so it just makes sense to stay in sync.
Once the hearings have been completed, Sucha says a report will be provided to the government by Oct. 4, along with recommendations on how to move forward with the bill.
If the government decides to forego the referendum, if would go to a vote in the legislature, and if passed, Alberta Standard Time would begin in the fall of 2018.
With files from CTV Calgary’s Shaun Frenette and The Canadian Press
