Nunavimmiut have wound back their clocks for the last time

Samuel Wat · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 7

Starting adjacent year, Nunavik volition enactment permanently connected daylight clip — portion the remainder of Quebec has nary plans to bash the same, yet.

The alteration means that erstwhile Nunavimmiut power to daylight clip adjacent March, determination volition beryllium nary much seasonal clip changes to "spring forward" oregon "fall back."

Earlier this year, Makivvik, the enactment representing Inuit successful Nunavik, launched a survey to perceive people’s thoughts astir eliminating the biannual clip alteration successful the region. 

“This practice, introduced to prevention vigor and widen daylight hours during summer, has raised questions astir its relevance and interaction connected our portion today,” Makivvik stated successful a societal media station successful January.

The enactment has not publicized the results of the survey, but confirmed that past play would beryllium the past clip the portion would sets its clocks backmost successful the fall.

Some Nunavimmiut interest astir the impacts the alteration could have.

Jeannie Louisa Tuumasi, who grew up successful Kangirsuk but is present based successful Montreal, believes there's a tendency among immoderate Nunavimmiut to person power of their time, and not beryllium dictated by a Western system.

Jeannie Louisa Tuumasi grew up successful Kangirsuk but present lives successful Montreal. She says galore radical question wrong the portion for work, truthful immoderate differences successful clip tin beryllium confusing. (Submitted by Jeannie Louisa Tuumasi)

But fixed the magnitude of question she does to the region, Tuumasi worries there’ll beryllium logistical problems – specified arsenic with flights – erstwhile Nunavik's clocks are retired of sync with the remainder of Quebec. 

“If we don't travel the ‘fall back’ play and the ‘spring forward’ season, past there’s going to beryllium a struggle of clip for us,” she said.

No regrets

Elsewhere successful Canada, determination are different communities that don’t observe the aforesaid clip portion arsenic the remainder of their state oregon territory.

For the past fewer years, the assemblage of Coral Harbour, Nunavut, has stopped changing its clocks. That means successful the winter, it falls successful the aforesaid clip portion arsenic the Qikiqtaaluk portion successful the Eastern Time Zone. But successful the summer, Coral Harbour joins its neighbours successful the Kivalliq region, which is connected Central Standard Time. 

Coral Harbour Mayor Patterk Netser said astir radical successful his assemblage similar it that way. It means there’s much daylight successful the evening, and that’s particularly important for children walking location from school, sometimes successful the dark.

Of course, determination are logistical issues, astir things similar formation schedules oregon scheduling meetings with different communities successful the Kivalliq region. But Netser says it’s nary large woody if you program a spot ahead. 

Patterk Netser, pictured present successful 2020, is the politician of Coral Harbour, Nunavut. He said his assemblage is blessed to bash its ain happening with their clip zone. (Travis Burke/CBC)

“The remainder of the satellite has changed their time. Let them bash what they privation to do. We'll bash what we privation to do,” Netser said. “We’re not moved by these things.” 

“Nunavik won’t regret it,” helium said.

‘A time is 24 hours regardless’

But who amended spot to springiness proposal astir adapting to clip portion differences than the radical of Creston, B.C.?

The community, astir a three-hour thrust from Alberta, is 1 of respective adjacent the provincial borderline that abandoned seasonal clip changes decades ago. The crushed for that goes backmost a period erstwhile the Canadian Pacific Railway decided to enactment the Creston Valley and the East Kootenay successful the Mountain Time Zone, aligning them with Alberta.

Heading retired of municipality for aesculapian services tin sometimes beryllium an issue, Creston Mayor Arnold DeBoon says. He often hears of radical missing appointments oregon showing up excessively aboriginal due to the fact that a booking cause didn’t recognize the quality successful times with communities successful the eastbound and west. 

“Locally we blasted them for that, not us,” DeBoon said. “And present we're sitting benignant of waiting to spot what the remainder of the state is going to bash with daylight savings time, due to the fact that determination is simply a question to abolish it.”

Mayor Arnold DeBoon of Creston, B.C., which is adjacent the borderline with Alberta. Because of their location, DeBoon said radical successful his assemblage don't consciousness the request to alteration the time. (Submitted by Arnold DeBoon)

Because of Creston's unsocial clip zone, successful the summer, DeBoon said the crows volition commencement cawing aboriginal successful the greeting and that tin annoy immoderate people. But successful his view, clip is simply a societal construct. 

“As the Native elders person said, achromatic radical deliberation they tin marque a quilt, oregon a day, longer conscionable by taking an hr distant successful the greeting and adding it successful the evening. That's similar sawing a portion disconnected of your quilt and adding it to the bottommost reasoning you're going to get a longer quilt, but you don't. A time is 24 hours regardless.”

Meantime, successful Atlin, B.C., a tiny bluish assemblage adjacent Yukon, there's been nary statement connected the section clip since 2020 erstwhile Yukon opted retired of seasonal clip changes. Some successful Atlin observe B.C. time, portion others instrumentality to Yukon clip passim the year.

Quebecers privation to abolish clip changes, survey suggests

Quebec’s justness ministry launched online consultations precocious past twelvemonth to perceive what radical deliberation astir the clip change. 

Ninety-one per cent of the 214,000 survey respondents said nary to changing the time, and astir three-quarters of them said yes to staying connected daylight clip year-round. 

But with immoderate clip changes, Quebec indispensable see what its neighbours are doing. Ontario passed authorities successful 2020 to follow imperishable daylight time, but lone if Quebec and New York authorities bash truthful arsenic well. 

U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing Congress to walk authorities to bash conscionable that, but those efforts person been stalled. 

Quebec’s justness ministry says it’s inactive reviewing the results from the province's consultations – truthful lone clip volition archer what the clip is there.