Changes are afoot in Golden, and some locals express dissatisfaction with the developments.
“This will add an extra burden on the community,” remarked Matt Clifford, a resident of Golden, B.C.
On Wednesday, the Town of Golden revealed that following one final clock adjustment to mountain standard time on November 1, it will align with the majority of British Columbia on permanent Pacific daylight time, which is set at seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-7).
With the shift to Pacific time, residents of Golden will witness sunrises and sunsets occurring an hour earlier throughout the entire year.
This announcement follows a provincial decision made seven months ago to eliminate biannual clock changes and adopt UTC-7.
However, the province has permitted individual municipalities and districts to opt out of this new time arrangement. In August, the Regional District of East Kootenay decided to stick with mountain daylight time year-round, mirroring Alberta’s choice.
Clifford is concerned about the implications of Golden being in a different time zone than the East Kootenay.
“As a small community, being out of sync with the rest of the valley, which we depend on significantly, is the main issue,” he stated.
He is actively distributing a petition urging the council to reconsider the time zone decision.
Golden is situated in the Columbia Valley, east of Rogers Pass and approximately 500 kilometers northeast of Vancouver.
Clifford noted that daily, people travel south to towns like Cranbrook for medical services, sports, education, and employment.
Consequently, all Columbia Valley communities located south of Golden—home to the region’s school district and primary healthcare facility—will now adhere to a different time zone.
Golden will now be in a different time zone compared to the Regional District of East Kootenay, located to its south. (Regional District East Kootenay)
“This just adds more pressure,” Clifford expressed.
He mentioned that due to the area’s geography, the recurring closures of Rogers Pass, its closeness to Calgary, and its ties to the Columbia Valley, many residents of Golden believe it is more beneficial for them to align with the rest of East Kootenay and Alberta rather than B.C.
During the summer, the Town of Golden collaborated with the Regional District of East Kootenay to conduct a public engagement survey.
They received 1,336 responses from the Golden area, where approximately 55 percent of participants favored maintaining alignment with Alberta on permanent mountain daylight time (UTC-6), while 45 percent supported mountain standard time or Pacific time (UTC-7).
“It’s a no-win situation,” commented Ron Oszust, the mayor of Golden.
He, along with the majority of the council, supported the transition to mountain standard time.
Ron Oszust serves as the mayor of Golden. The council has decided that the town will shift to mountain standard time (UTC-7). (Town of Golden)
“Regardless of the voting outcome, a portion of the population was going to express their concerns,” Oszust stated.
He acknowledged that the community is divided on the matter but emphasized that the council took into account various factors, such as health data, public safety issues, and the time zones of the rest of the province when deciding to align with Pacific time.
“This is a topic we will keep discussing,” he remarked. “However, this is the direction chosen for now to align with B.C. time.”
He added that, although the decision has been reached, it is not irreversible.
Clifford mentioned that residents have until the evening of September 9 to email the town and submit their petitions.
