Residents in southeast B.C. have until the end of Monday to weigh in on a regional survey asking what time the area should follow.

The survey asks whether the region should align with most of B.C., stay on the same clock as Alberta, or keep changing clocks twice a year.

A decision, then pushback

The question remains unresolved even as B.C. and Alberta move toward ending time changes. B.C. adopted permanent pacific daylight time last spring and Alberta plans to stick with permanent mountain daylight time come November.

On March 13, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) board voted 8-7 to move areas that have been aligned with Alberta’s time changes to switch to permanent mountain standard time, effectively aligning the entire region with B.C.

But the board later rescinded that decision after public pushback.

Maya Bradshaw, a Cranbrook resident, started a petition calling for the East Kootenay to stay in sync with Alberta, one hour behind B.C.

The petition has close to 1,600 signatures.

Bradshaw said residents should have been asked before the first decision was made.

“They never bothered to ask people in the community what they wanted,” she said. 

The petition is not the only place where residents are pushing back. 

In a local Facebook group, some say being on mountain time has given families more light after work and school.

A region between clocks

The debate is also rooted in the Kootenays’ geography and history. Creston has stayed on mountain standard time year-round since 1918, while the Kootenay Lake ferry area has long been tied to the region’s time-zone divide.

Bradshaw said many residents look east for work, flights, shopping, family and health care.

“We’re aligned with Alberta. We’re right here. We’re four hours away from Calgary,” she said. “We’re 12 hours away to Vancouver.” 

Others see the issue through a provincial lens.

Cranbrook resident Susan Alaric supports moving to permanent mountain standard time.

“We would be on the same time as the rest of B.C. and not feel as marginalized from the rest of the province,” she said. 

Cranbrook resident Peter Spaans agreed, saying he doesn’t think B.C. should be split.

“The idea of part of a province going with another province is silly,” he said.

Survey not binding

The survey is being run by the RDEK, the Town of Golden and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Electoral Area A.

It covers the southeast corner of B.C. that is still on mountain time. 

The survey is non-binding, meaning results will help inform future decisions but will not determine the outcome on their own. 

RDEK board chair Rob Gay said the board received hundreds of letters after its earlier decision, with concerns ranging from business impacts to health.

Gay said the board can’t please everyone.

“It’s not about happy,” he said. “I think it’s about trying to make the right decision that we feel is best for our region.” 

Gay said nearly 13,000 people had taken part in the survey by Friday morning. He said he hopes the result points strongly in one direction, but the region could still be split.

“It may be that it’s 50-50 and we’ll still have to make the decision,” he said. 

Results are expected to be made public by the end of this week. 

Gay said local governments will then have time to review the survey before the issue returns to the RDEK board, likely in September or October. 

A decision is expected before November, when clocks would normally change.