Saskatchewan monitoring Alberta's daylight time plan, may change law

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government plans to abandon clock changes and remain on daylight time year-round.

Saskatchewan passed a bill in 1966 to keep the province on central standard time year-round without clock changes. 

But Lloydminster, which straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta boundary, is exempt from the rules.

The regulations say the city is on mountain standard time in the winter, which keeps it an hour behind other Saskatchewan communities for about half the year.

“The Ministry of Government Relations routinely examines the legislation within its mandate, including the Time Act,” the province said in a statement this week. 

“The ministry will consider how Alberta’s move to continuous Central Standard Time will impact the Time Act and amend if required.”  

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said Alberta’s move would make it more convenient for businesses in both provinces to work with one another.

“We welcome it,” Moe said. “We’ve always appreciated … the fact that we don’t have to change our watches in this province.”

The Saskatchewan government website says it made the time law to deal with communities not following the rules.

In 1958, legislation was was passed to put the province on central standard time until October and mountain standard time for the winter months. 

But some communities refused to change their clocks, resulting in chaos.

To get mostly everyone on the same page, the province enforced central standard time with no clock changes. As a compromise, it created “time option areas” for communities that straddle provincial boundaries. 

Denare Beach and Creighton near the Manitoba boundary in northeast Saskatchewan are on central standard time but change their clocks to align with the time in Manitoba. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.