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Whether it’s watching an NHL game, scheduling an appointment, or simply reducing confusion, some residents of Kenora, Ontario. says permanent daylight saving time is a “fantastic” move.
Scott Green, owner and operator of the Lake of the Woods Marina and Service Centre, said Wednesday he is pleased the community will remain in the same time zone as Manitoba for the foreseeable future.
“I like it as long as we fit in with Winnipeg and Manitoba,” he said in an interview with Global News.
Green added his marina also has a restaurant and bar that hosts Winnipeg Jets watch parties during the season. He said with the permanent changes, watching games “is getting better.” He added that this will also make it easier to travel to Winnipeg for Jets games.
The Ontario government announced Tuesday that northwestern Ontario communities west of the 90th meridian will stop changing clocks twice a year and remain on daylight saving time year-round.
Kenora, along with communities such as Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Pickle Lake, currently observes Central Daylight Time, the same time zone observed by Manitoba.
This means that on November 1, the times will be the same in Manitoba and the rest of Ontario. But when the clocks ticked down an hour in March across much of Ontario, people in the province’s northwest and Manitoba didn’t have to adjust their times.
Tuesday’s announcement from the Ontario government comes after what Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford said was a “unanimous consensus” across the region.
“Through the collective efforts of communities and First Nations in the northwest region, we have led the process to build consensus the right way, with detailed and diverse considerations,” Rickford said in a press release Tuesday.
Some communities conduct surveys of residents to see if there is support for change.
In Kenora, about 6,000 of its roughly 16,000 residents responded to the survey and Mayor Andrew Poirier told Global News that 93 percent support implementing daylight saving time.
“So we listened to the people of Kenora and we support what we did as a council to pass a resolution that we will consider aligning ourselves with Manitoba, and so many of our neighboring communities, which is very important in this whole process,” Poirier said on Wednesday.
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The mayor said although in Ontario, Kenora is “more associated” with Winnipeg or Manitoba.
He said whether in summer or winter, travel between Ontario and Manitoba communities is “like the 401” running through Toronto.
“That’s the amount of economic activity, tourism, back-and-forth visits that occur between those two jurisdictions,” Poirier said.
But this is not only an economic activity, but also logistical aspects such as medical appointments or tourist bookings.
“So when someone makes an appointment for a taxi ride or a tour and we agree on a time frame (or) often have a Zoom meeting if someone calls from Toronto, you have to make sure you’re there at the same time,” Green said. “So this will make things efficient and easier for ordering and communication.”
Maps provided by the Ontario government show the province’s 90th meridian. Communities west of the line will observe central daylight time permanently starting November 1.
Courtesy: Government of Ontario
‘Time zone pocket’
Northwestern Ontario is not the only region that has a different time zone than most of the provinces in which they are located.
The Kootenay region of BC is on Mountain Time, Nunavik and the Lower North Coast in Quebec are on Atlantic Time and parts of Labrador are also on Atlantic Time unlike the rest of Southeastern Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gold, BC, Count. Wesley Routley said his community last month initially planned to switch to Mountain standard time permanently on Nov. 1, but after hearing from hundreds of residents, the council changed course.
He said the community felt like aligning with other communities such as the East Kootenay Regional District to the south and other communities in the Mountains.
“We have residents who have to make that journey [to Cranbrook hospital] for dialysis and referred to Cranbrook for other treatment and that is a real risk,” Routley said.
He added most of Golden’s visitors come from Alberta, which should reduce confusion for people visiting the community.
British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba have each announced they will remain on daylight time starting November 1, with Saskatchewan having implemented central standard time year-round. Other provinces have said in recent months that no changes are expected although discussions and analysis are ongoing.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
