The Town of Golden, B.C., is now an outlier in the East Kootenay corridor after town council voted this week to change its clocks one last time this fall, moving to permanent Mountain Standard Time (MST). While the time zone names are different, it means Golden will now align year-round with the majority of B.C. under the province’s new permanent Pacific Time zone from Nov. 1 onward. The time in Golden and Vancouver will soon be the same year-round. Drivers who travel through the mountain parks would usually see the time on their phones switch zones at Rogers Pass, but that will now happen in Golden. However, the rest of the East Kootenay region will stay on Mountain Daylight Time. That means Golden will be one hour behind the nearby communities of Fernie, Invermere and the Columbia Valley. That region is staying on Mountain Daylight Time, which aligns with Alberta’s switch to permanent Mountain Daylight Time. However, it will now be called Alberta Time in the province. The decision has divided folks in Golden. “It’s strictly an issue of safety, alignment with the rest of the Province of B.C., being on the Trans-Canada Highway,” said Golden Mayor Ron Oszust during Tuesday’s council meeting. “People cross that border (and) they expect, generally, to cross into a new time zone.” Oszust said the decision was a relatively minor adjustment. “This was not a straightforward decision,” he said in a statement. “Council believes that aligning with the majority of B.C. on the new Pacific Time will provide greater health and safety benefits with additional daylight in the morning hours and provide the greatest simplicity and consistency for residents, businesses and visitors throughout the province.” Small business owners think the time change will not make much difference for their businesses. One health-care worker, a long-term Golden resident, says she does not agree. Janice LaRoy has lived in Golden since 1990 and believes seniors will have trouble adapting. “For me, it’s about travelling to our medical referral centre, which is up the East Kootenay and Cranbrook,” said LaRoy. “So to now be on a time change from that puts a lot of our vulnerable population on the road in the dark.” For one bike business, the time change is not expected to have much of an impact. “I think we’ll be able to bike as late as we bike in the summer, and I think it’s going to be better for skiing in the winter,” said Lolli Gagnon, owner of Moon Cycle in Golden. She said the winter will see the most impact, as tourists visiting the community travelling from the west generally arrive late, and she knows why. “You’ve probably driven in from Revelstoke, and they’re like, ‘How did you know?’ We’re like, ‘Because of the time zone. Do you guys know there’s a time change?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh no.’ And we’re like, ‘OK, it’s now five (o’clock) and you were supposed to collect at four,’” she said. The town also surveyed residents between July 3 and Aug 3. Nine hundred and eighteen residents responded, with 55 per cent supporting the current model of remaining with Alberta Time, while 45 per cent supported the switch. Overall, 89 per cent of respondents supported scrapping the semi-annual time changes altogether. Golden will move to permanent MST on Nov. 1.
