B.C. petitioners hope Sunday's time change is one of the last

Many British Columbians will have to shift their clocks back this weekend as daylight time comes to an end but a Kamloops pair hopes it's the last time they'll have to do so.

The time shift is a biannual ritual that most of Canada adopted during the First World War. We 'fall back' an hour in November, and 'spring forward' an hour in March.

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It's supposed to maximize light hours in the daytime and reduce energy consumption but critics have argued otherwise.

Kamloops residents Bob Dieno and Tara Holmes have been advocating to end the time change for years.

They cite studies that show the time shift can have an unhealthy effect on the body and can potentially compromise road and pedestrian safety.

"It's just so important that we stay on one time for health, safety and so many other reasons," said Dieno.

Update on petition

Last year, they launched a petition for an end to the time change.

"It's been such a learning year for us Most people want more daylight in the afternoon when they're coming home from work," said Holmes.

"[We've received] comments from people about having light during family time in the evening that's a really important hour to people," added Dieno.

Over the past year, they've gathered almost 27,000 signatures, and met with Ministers Terry Lake and Todd Stone.

They've garnered support from the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce.

The B.C. Chamber of Commerce is also on board as long as other Pacific states stop the time shift.

Now the duo is aiming to reach 30,000 signatures to convince Premier Christy Clark to put daylight time to a referendum vote.

"As long as it's talked about and it's on the radar, it's not going to go away, and that's the biggest thing. We need to keep our message out," said Dieno.

Daylight time ends on Sunday morning at 2 a.m. PT, so don't forget to change your clock back an hour before bed on Saturday night.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops

To hear the interview, click on the link labelled B.C. petitioners hope Sunday's time change is one of the last