2019 Legislative Session: 4th Session, 41st Parliament

FIRST READING

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

MS. LINDA LARSON

BILL M 204 – 2019

INTERPRETATION (UNIFORM PACIFIC TIME ZONE) AMENDMENT ACT, 2019

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

It is integral that British Columbia maintains its economic advantage by remaining in the same time zone as those US States currently in the Pacific Time Zone. This Act shall only be considered if the aforementioned States in the Pacific Time Zone eliminate seasonal time shifts.

In Washington State, Bill SB 5139 concerning a single, non-seasonal time zone is currently before the State Senate.

The State of California passed Proposition 7 in November 2018, permitting their state legislature to make future changes to their seasonal time periods. Assembly Bill 7 on daylight saving time was then introduced in December 2018.

If enacted, this Act will allow the Lieutenant Governor in Council, by regulation, to establish a uniform time zone aligned with the aforementioned jurisdictions as outlined in the

Interpretation Act .

Section 26 (3) (

a) of the

Interpretation Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 238, is repealed.

2 The Daylight Saving Time Regulation, B.C. Reg. 136/2006 is repealed.

Consequential Amendments

Community Charter

Section 3 of the

Schedule of the Community Charter, S.B.C. 2003, c. 26, is amended

by striking out " or Mountain Daylight Time " in both places and by striking out " , as applicable ".

Election Act

Section 56 (3) of the Election Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 106, is amended by striking

out " or Pacific Daylight Saving Time, as applicable " .

Section 75 (3) is amended by striking out " or Pacific Daylight Saving Time, as applicable " .

6 Form 1 of the

Schedule is amended by striking out " [Pacific Daylight Saving Time] " wherever it appears.

Local Government Act

Section 3 of the

Schedule of the Local Government Act, R.S.B.C. 2015, c. 1, is amended

by striking out " or Mountain Daylight Time " in both places and by striking out " , as applicable ".

Vancouver Charter

Section 194 of the Vancouver Charter, S.B.C. 1953, c. 55, is amended by striking out " prescribe a period in each year for which the time for general purposes in the city shall be seven hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, and ".

Wildfire Act

Schedule 3 of the Wildfire Act, Wildfire Regulation, B.C. Reg. 38/2005, is amended

by striking out " PDT (Pacific Daylight Saving Time) " in both places and substituting " PST (Pacific Standard Time) ".

10 A reference in any Act, other than this Act, or in any regulation, rule, order, by-law, agreement or other instrument or document, to " Pacific Daylight Saving Time, Pacific Daylight time or PDT " shall be read unless the context otherwise requires, as a reference to " Pacific Standard Time, Pacific Standard time or PST. "

Transitional Regulations

(1) Despite this or any other Act, the Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations as follows:

(

a) respecting any matter that the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers is not

provided for, or is not sufficiently provided for, in this Act;

(

b) making provisions that the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers appropriate

for the purpose of more effectively bringing this Act into operation;

(

c) making provisions that the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers appropriate for the purpose of preventing, minimizing or otherwise addressing any transitional difficulties encountered in bringing this Act into effect, including, without limitation, provisions making an exception to or a modification of a provision in an enactment or providing for the application or continued application of a previous enactment;

(

d) resolving any errors, inconsistencies or ambiguities arising in this Act.

(2) A regulation under subsection (1) may be made retroactive to a specified date

that is not earlier than the date this

section comes into force and, if made retroactive,

is deemed to have come into force on the specified date.

(3) To the extent of any conflict between a regulation under subsection (1) and this Act or another enactment, the regulation prevails.

(4) This

section and any regulations made under this

section are repealed two years after the date this Act comes into force.

Commencement

12 This Act comes into force by regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Explanatory Note

It is integral that British Columbia maintains its economic advantage by remaining in the same time zone as those US States currently in the Pacific Time Zone. This Act shall only be considered if the aforementioned States in the Pacific Time Zone eliminate seasonal time shifts.

In Washington State, Bill SB 5139 concerning a single, non-seasonal time zone is currently before the State Senate.

The State of California passed Proposition 7 in November 2018, permitting their state legislature to make future changes to their seasonal time periods. Assembly Bill 7 on daylight saving time was then introduced in December 2018.

If enacted, this Act will allow the Lieutenant Governor in Council, by regulation, to establish a uniform time zone aligned with the aforementioned jurisdictions as outlined in the

Interpretation Act .

Copyright (

c) Queen’s Printer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada