Changes are underway in Golden, and some residents express concerns about the direction being taken.
“This is going to impose an additional burden on the community,” stated Matt Clifford, a resident of Golden, B.C.
On Wednesday, the Town of Golden revealed that after one final adjustment to mountain standard time on November 1, it will permanently align with the majority of B.C. on Pacific daylight time, which is seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-7).
With the shift to Pacific time, residents of Golden will see sunrises and sunsets occurring one hour earlier throughout the year.
This announcement follows a decision made seven months ago by the provincial government to eliminate biannual clock changes in favor of UTC-7. Nevertheless, the province has permitted individual municipalities and districts the option to decline the time change. In August, the Regional District of East Kootenay decided to maintain mountain daylight time throughout the year, similar to Alberta.
Clifford is concerned about the implications of Golden being in a different time zone compared to the East Kootenay.
“As a small community, falling out of sync with the rest of the valley, which we depend on significantly, is the major issue,” he expressed.
He is actively gathering signatures for a petition urging the council to reconsider the time zone situation.
Located in the Columbia Valley, Golden sits on the eastern side of Rogers Pass, approximately 500 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.
Clifford mentioned that many residents travel south to places like Cranbrook daily for medical services, sports, education, and employment.
Now, all communities in the Columbia Valley situated south of Golden—home to the local school district and a key health care facility—will operate on a different time zone.
Golden will now be on a different time zone than the Regional District of East Kootenay, located to its south. (Regional District East Kootenay)
“It’s merely adding more strain,” Clifford remarked.
He noted that due to the area’s topography, the frequent closures of Rogers Pass, its closeness to Calgary, and the connection to the Columbia Valley, many residents of Golden believe it would be more beneficial to align with the rest of East Kootenay and Alberta rather than with B.C.
During the summer, the Town of Golden collaborated with the Regional District of East Kootenay to conduct a public engagement survey.
The survey received 1,336 responses from the Golden area. Approximately 55 percent of those who responded favored remaining aligned with Alberta on permanent mountain daylight time (UTC-6), while 45 percent supported mountain standard time, also known as Pacific time (UTC-7).
“It’s a no-win situation,” remarked Ron Oszust, the mayor of Golden.
He, along with most council members, voted in favor of the transition to mountain standard time.
Ron Oszust is the mayor of Golden. Council has decided the town will move to mountain standard time (UTC-7). (Town of Golden)
“No matter how the vote turned out, they were going to hear from half of the community,” said Oszust.
He acknowledged that the community is divided on the matter but emphasized that the council considered various factors, such as health statistics, public safety issues, and the existing time zone of the rest of the province before deciding to move to Pacific time.
“This is a topic that we will keep discussing,” he stated. “However, at this moment, the decision has been made to align with B.C. time.”
He also noted that while a decision has been reached, it is not irreversible.
Clifford mentioned that residents have until the evening of September 9 to email the town and present their petition.