Single time zone unhealthy for east

Come the end of October, we in the Baffin (Eastern Time Zone) will be setting our clocks back two hours (one hour to transfer to Central Time Zone, plus one hour to adjust to Standard time).

Those in the Mountain Time zone will not change the time on their clocks in October but will move them forward with everyone else in the spring. People in Kivalliq will only adjust between Standard and Daylight Saving Time.

This time adjustment is based on a decision made by the government of Nunavut to create just one time zone for the entire territory.

In most communities in the eastern portion of the territory we will notice darkness much earlier than ever before. In fact, during the winter months, darkness will arrive during or shortly after lunch long before children get out of school.

The question is, why not adjust our time so children may return home in daylight or twilight? Communities such as Qikiqtarjuaq, Pangnirtung, Clyde River and Iqaluit would need to transfer to the Atlantic Time Zone, which geographically they are part of, and not move to the Central Time Zone in order to accomplish this. But yet we are moving in the opposite direction.

After the end of October, when we wake up early in the morning we will notice that we have slept during precious hours of daylight or twilight. It is well know that the amount of natural daylight to which we are exposed directly affects our moods, productivity and disposition. The more daylight the better.

It is also known that costly power (energy) is used more during darkness than daylight. The proposed time change flies in the face of energy conservation practises.

This new policy will benefit principally the bureaucratic and business world. One time zone may facilitate working operations and transactions from one end of Nunavut to the other as opposed to working in three time zones.

Politicians on the other hand have the duty to view changes from a broader perspective and be responsive to the effects any change may have upon the lifestyles and health of their constituents. One of the policy guidelines of the government of Nunavut is to be more responsive to the needs of the people.

But will the change to one time zone improve our working operations? Our dealings with distributors, health services and professionals in the south, to mention just a few, will be affected by the one-hour difference.

It is important to maximize the daylight available to us. Especially in the north light, or the lack of it, exerts a very significant and sometimes profound influence on the inhabitants.

I therefore suggest that we retain the status quo but change government working hours in the east to commence at 0930 and in the west at 0730 while those in the Central Time Zone continue to work from 0830 to 1700. All of Nunavut would then work on the same time.

This idea is just about as radical as the new policy itself. Therefore let us tolerate just one hour to differentiate the eastern and western portions of our territory and have working hours in the west to be from 0800 to 1630 while those in the east work between 0900 and 1730.

It may well be that people currently in the Mountain Time zone wish to adjust to Central Time thereby gaining more daylight and twilight during their waking hours. If that is the case, we in Nunavut should be able to arrange our working hours to comfortably and profitably live and work in two time zones.

Frank Pearce
Iqaluit