True or false?

Test what you know about daylight time.

11 statements. Some answers will surprise you, even if you already support daylight time.

1. Question 1 of 11

   “Daylight time gives one more hour of sunshine a day.”

   See the answer

   False.

   No clock creates light. Daylight time moves an hour of light from the morning to the end of the day. The real question: do you want your light while you sleep or work, or while you are free?

2. Question 2 of 11

   “With daylight time all year, the sun would rise earlier in Montréal in December than it does in Paris today.”

   See the answer

   True.

   At the winter solstice, the sun would rise at 8:31 AM in Montréal. In Paris, it rises at 8:41 AM; in Brussels, at 8:43 AM; in Amsterdam, at 8:48 AM. This is not a medical argument: it is a reference point for those mornings.

3. Question 3 of 11

   “With standard time all year, the sun would rise around 4 AM in Montréal in June.”

   See the answer

   True.

   On June 21, it would rise at 4:05 AM in Montréal, 3:50 AM in Québec City and 3:14 AM in Gaspé, and it would set one hour earlier in the evening. That is the hour of light standard time would push into the night.

4. Question 4 of 11

   “Most respondents to the 2024 consultation wanted to keep standard time.”

   See the answer

   False.

   Out of over 214,000 responses, 91% wanted to stop the time change and, of those, 72% wanted to keep daylight time. In that same group, 25% wanted standard time and 3% gave another answer.

   Sources: 12

5. Question 5 of 11

   “Sleep specialists mostly recommend standard time.”

   See the answer

   True.

   Sleep specialists favour standard time, because morning light helps set the body clock. Their argument is serious. But no known study measures the full balance for Québec: it is a choice for society, in which evening light also counts.

   Sources: 345

6. Question 6 of 11

   “In 2026, all the western provinces and territories, from British Columbia to Manitoba, stopped changing their clocks.”

   See the answer

   True.

   British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba chose daylight time in 2026, joining Yukon (2020) and Saskatchewan (fixed time since 1966: its law says “standard time”, but for its longitude, it is daylight time).

   Sources: 6789

7. Question 7 of 11

   “More light at the end of the day is linked to fewer robberies in several studies.”

   See the answer

   True, for some crimes.

   In the United States, about 7% fewer robberies, and up to 27% fewer in the evening hour that gains light. Similar results in Chile and Uruguay. It does not apply to all crimes.

   Sources: 101112

8. Question 8 of 11

   “Abolishing the time change eliminates the spring shock, whichever time we keep.”

   See the answer

   True.

   The week after the March jump is associated with more fatal crashes in the United States (about +6%). Once the time is fixed, that shock no longer returns every spring (with daylight time, after one last spring forward). It is a gain shared by both options.

   Sources: 13

9. Question 9 of 11

   “Permanent daylight time would save Hydro-Québec a lot of electricity.”

   See the answer

   False — or at least, nobody has shown it.

   Energy studies give mixed results depending on climate and heating. For Québec, a Canadian study finds an imprecise effect, close to zero; the effect of daylight time in the depth of winter on our peaks has not been estimated.

   Sources: 141516

10. Question 10 of 11

    “A famous study showing that daylight time reduces mortality in Europe was retracted by the journal that published it.”

    See the answer

    True.

    The 2022 study was retracted on May 28, 2026 after statistical criticism. It supported daylight time, yet this site does not use it: an argument is only worth as much as its evidence.

    Sources: 1718

11. Question 11 of 11

    “With daylight time, December mornings would be darker.”

    See the answer

    True.

    The sun would rise one hour later in winter, around 8:30 AM in Montréal and Québec City at the solstice. That is why daylight time must come with measures for the mornings: adapted school hours, better-lit routes, independent monitoring.

    Sources: 4