Letters to the Sun, Nov. 16, 2021: Horgan’s relationship with the governor of Washington State complicates daylight savings time

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Prime Minister Horgan’s relationship with Washington State Governor Jay Inslee is a great thing. Inslee is an oasis surrounded by a country battling deliberate ignorance and superstition while seeming to be caught in a political stalemate.

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A staggering 93 percent of British Columbia residents have responded with a “yes” vote in favor of permanent daylight saving time, and most Washingtonians feel the same way. Inslee, however, has asked us to wait for the required congressional approval before proceeding together.

It’s going to be a long wait.

Statistical backed research shows that perpetual daylight would save lives, is better for the planet, and is also better for commerce simply because more people are awake at dusk than at dawn.

When BC fell behind last year, the brave Yukon moved on on its own. It turned out good and they don’t look back. Saskatchewan changed 62 years ago! There was a lot of handshake. The hens did not lay, the cows did not milk. Amid much raucous debate, Saskatchewan moved on, but called it permanent central standard time. Yet the earth is round, it rotates every day, Saskatchewan straddles the 105th meridian west of Greenwich, and the sun sets every day in mountain summer time.

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A respected scientist in British Columbia tells us that our circadian rhythms will be permanently damaged by daylight because we are tuned to the location of the sun at noon every day. However, one has to wonder if he is aware that due to the equation of time (that’s the thing in Figure 8 of Analemma on the globe), the sun at noon naturally varies from side to side by more than half an hour. every year. and it has done since we humans left the caves. Will another 29 minutes or so really be a problem?

Hollywood North has expressed concern that we will switch to one hour from Los Angeles time … for half the year. Not long ago, when British Columbia liberals pulled the tax breaks for movies, Hollywood downgraded BC by 29.97 frames and had no qualms about moving production three hours to eastern Ontario. We had benefits for indigent members of the British Columbia Film Unions Council. It really is about money. The last I heard, California is also waiting for change in the United States Congress.

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The evening darkness is far more deadly than the morning darkness. Fatigue, alcohol and impatience make the evening rush hour twice as dangerous as the morning rush hour. Moving as much light as possible on the night ride would make it much safer for everyone, including children, on the way home and during unsupervised play.

The original concept of daylight saving time was to save energy during the world wars and the OPEC oil crisis. With our planet in danger of extinction, this would make even more sense today. Having more sun during the day at night requires less electricity, oil and gas. More sun in the morning also reduces energy, but only half the population is awake to reap the benefits.

Recreation and commerce flourish in daylight and dwindle in early darkness. Studies have shown that more light is important for health, well-being and energy levels, and more people can enjoy its benefits with light at night. Seventy-five percent of British Columbia residents cited health and wellness as a reason to support permanent daylight savings time. Support for the observance of daylight saving time throughout the year exceeded 90 percent in all industry groups and in all occupational groups.

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With an overall mandate of 93%, let’s hope Horgan tells Inslee: “Good luck, but BC is going to go ahead with permanent daylight saving time.”

Craig F. McCaw, President of Roundhouse Productions Inc.

Re: Fumano: Should companies vote in local elections?

As a long-time resident and former business owner in Vancouver, I can easily sympathize with the issues faced by business owners in our city today, however, I am not in favor of allowing corporations or businesses to have the right to do so. vote.

I clearly remember that a friend and his father, a prominent Vancouver attorney, picked me up many years ago. The father mentioned that he had spent much of that afternoon voting on behalf of the many corporations his firm represented.

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This went against my current, since I always felt that in a democracy it was ‘one person, one vote’.

Ronald Appleton, Vancouver

World leaders don’t understand climate change

If we needed a clear indication that world leaders simply don’t understand the climate emergency, it was on display in Glasgow at COP26. Four hundred private jets that will spew more GHG into the atmosphere than the 1,600 Scots in a year brought “leaders” and their entourages to solve the climate problem.

How can we expect people who travel this way to agree to actions that will curb GHG emissions? My God, they may have to travel first class on a commercial airplane, intolerable.

Michael Healey, Professor Emeritus, University of BC, Gibsons

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