The Government of Saskatchewan is replacing its time zone legislation after Alberta’s decision to switch to Central Standard Time (CST).
Before The Time Act was passed in 1966, Saskatchewan was made up of a patchwork of local time standards, according to the province. The legislation standardized CST for much of the province, while allowing certain areas to hold votes to change their time.
One of these areas was Lloydminster, which currently switches over to Mountain Time to align with Alberta. The Time Act, 2026 will make sure legislation reflects current practices while keeping flexibility for future changes made by neighbouring provinces.
“While our residents have long been used to running on ‘Lloydminster time’, the differing provincial time zones often prove a little tricky for those visiting our city for work and pleasure,” Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers said in the announcement.
“We welcome an updated Time Act that reflects how our border community functions day-to-day. No time travel required.”
Introduced on Thursday, leave was not granted for the bill to immediately advance to its second reading, which is now scheduled for the next sitting of the assembly.
Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young was disappointed in the delay.
“This time act would have allowed us to be on the same time as Albert and Saskatchewan,” she said.
“Alberta has introduced its legislation in order to stay on the same time come this fall for the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster, what a mess. It puts us in our own time zone if we don’t get this done here in Saskatchewan as well.”
Young said people living in and around Lloydminster or who have to travel there on a regular basis are always having to manage different time zones, which this legislation would have fixed.
NDP MLA Erika Ritchie said she doesn’t see any issues with the bill and has spoken with Mayor Aalbers about it. However, she said delaying the bill was simply a matter of due diligence.
“This is really a question of due process, ensuring that we have the time to review it thoroughly, reach out to stakeholders, ensure there aren’t any unintended consequences,” she said.
“We’re prepared to see this bill move through all stages this week.