On 2026-09-22 14:17, Tim Parenti via tz wrote:
On Fri, 18 Sept 2026 at 18:12, Tim Parenti wrote:
On Thu, 10 Sept 2026 at 13:57, Tim Parenti wrote:
It seems, then, that the Town of Golden is likely to revisit timekeeping
at its next meeting on Tuesday 22 September at 13:15 UTC−6 and may
decide to keep itself aligned with RDEK, Alberta, and America/Edmonton
after all.
Indeed, an agenda for next Tuesday's town council meeting in Golden, BC was
published today, and it seems there will at least be some further discussion
on the topic of timekeeping:
https://golden.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=1433
<https://golden.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=1433>
In a letter to Golden Town Council, Councillor Wes Routley formally requested
reconsideration of the motion previously adopted on 1 September, writing "My
view of the underlying merits has not necessarily changed; I remain deeply
concerned about the morning safety risk Daylight Time will pose and feel we must
manage those risks where possible. However, the process for our decision failed
to ask an important question for residents. The RDEK survey asked people to
choose between Daylight and Standard Time; it did not ask whether alignment
should take precedence where the two conflict. That is a very different
question, and one that our decision on 1 September did not have the benefit of.
Because that question went unasked, many residents now understand this decision
differently than intended. Instead of a considered choice made with the best
available information, many feel their views discounted or dismissed. The public
must be able to trust the process Council uses to arrive at a decision. That
trust has eroded and restoring it is the most urgent matter before us. It is
consuming attention Council and staff need for the work ahead in our community."
https://golden.civicweb.net/FileStorage/8FE840BAF09E4BB3BFD319A56A45A3A6-
Routley_Reconsideration-20260922.pdf <https://golden.civicweb.net/
FileStorage/8FE840BAF09E4BB3BFD319A56A45A3A6-Routley_Reconsideration-20260922.pdf>
In introducing his motion to rescind the previous resolution, Routley added,
"[a]t times, we're faced with really difficult considerations…and sometimes we
get tossed curveballs with no clear authority."
Mayor Ron Oszust thanked Routley for having "identified the concerns that the
majority of council had on September 1 and supplementally provided strategies to
either address them or work towards mitigating them."
Following a unanimous vote to rescind, Routley moved a superseding resolution to
adopt UTC−6 (Mountain Daylight Time) in alignment with the Regional District of
East Kootenay; to direct staff to work with school districts, the surrounding
rural areas, and the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Transit to work
on various safety and streetlighting concerns; and to commit to reviewing time
observance in October 2027, "including ongoing dialogue with [RDEK], community
partners, and residents."
Routley stated the proposed path "weaves a delicate balance of recognizing the
realities for service access down south, as well as the public sentiment around
the importance of the access there, as well as striving wherever possible to
mitigate the risks that were raised", while maintaining flexibility for ongoing
engagement in the future as "Alberta has made clear that they're going to be
reviewing their decision in 2027".
Councillor Joy Guyot, serving as acting chair, congratulated the petition
organizer and residents on an impressive effort, while Oszust restated his
"appreciation for the focus of [Routley's] resolution", recognizing the "shared
responsibility" across all levels of government to ensure safety. He further
reported to the Council that the issue of time observance in surrounding Rural
Golden which was deferred at Columbia Shuswap Regional District's 20 September
board meeting will come back at its next meeting on Thursday 15 October at 09:30
UTC−7.
Karen Cathcart, director of CSRD Area A, was asked to speak and thanked
Routley "for his very thoughtful resolution" as well as "all of the residents
for the number of emails, phone calls, letters, and coffee chats". She added
that while, "the original decision to move to Mountain Standard Time was not
made lightly", she's "said…from Day One, I will support the Town of Golden's
decision" to "give this a try."
The resolution passed unanimously.
Acknowledging the fuller-than-usual council chambers, Routley closed by
addressing potential mental health impacts, commenting that "[t]his community is
really good at being there for each other" and that he expects "folks will be
looking out and supporting their neighbors… checking in, making sure we're all
doing good over this first winter".
So there should be no need for a new zone in and around Golden after all.
It will be interesting to see how people feel when those of us sticking to DST,
when we were already *too* far east for sense, no longer get a time change
providing another month of driving into the sun morning and evening, just a
relentless shortening of the day from both ends increasing until the solstice,
then the long slow reclamation of a little daylight during the cold, dark, icy,
and/or snowy winter months. Can we expect it to feel like Fimbulwinter?
--
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis Calgary, Alberta, Canada
La perfection est atteinte Perfection is achieved
non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter not when there is no more to add
mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher but when there is no more to cut
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
