Change your clocks, check your batteries as Daylight Saving Time ends

Prince Edward County Deputy Fire Chief Tim Kraemer reminds residents “Fall Back” weekend is a good time to remember to check, clean and test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. He suggests cleaning smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with a vacuum or compressed air; replacing batteries, then testing the units to ensure they’re working.

Clocks ‘fall back’ an hour Sunday at 2 a.m. as Daylight Saving Time ends – making it lighter earlier in the morning, and darker earlier in the evening.

Canadians in most time zones will turn clocks back as they head to bed Saturday, Nov. 2. The Yukon, most of Saskatchewan and some parts of British Columbia and Quebec stay on standard time.

Most digital and Wi-Fi-connected devices will roll back automatically, but it never hurts to check clocks on stoves and walls on Sunday to save yourself from showing up at work an hour early on Monday morning.

Prince Edward County Fire and Rescue reminds this is also a good time to replace smoke detector batteries, test and check CO detectors – and check manufacture dates on them as most need replacing at five or 10 years.

A private members bill called “The Time Amendment Act” was passed in October 2020 to have Ontario on permanent daylight time – giving an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day. However, The Time Amendment Act is conditional upon both New York state and Quebec – also making the change. They have not with some expressing concern that dawn would not break until nearly 9 a.m. in December and January.