By Sumayya
Manitoba’s move to keep daylight saving time permanently is causing some confusion. Some people are rushing to make sure that the digital clocks used for scheduling, bookings, and reservations do not automatically change and go backward.
Tony Siwicki, the owner of the Silver Heights Restaurant & Lounge, is not sure what to expect this Sunday.
“Every day we’re figuring out a new thing that could change,” he said.
Siwicki said that the restaurant’s scheduling, reservations, and cash register payment systems all run through outside companies. He is trying to make sure they all received the message that Manitoba’s clocks will not be falling back this year.
“They’re all programmed to change on certain days, so making sure that they’re not programmed to change when we’re not – that’s the battle, to make sure we’re still good.”
The province announced last month that it would stay with permanent daylight time, just six weeks before the clocks were scheduled to change.
David Gerhard, a computer science professor at the University of Manitoba, said these kinds of changes usually need a bit more time.
“Usually, they want a lot of lead time to update that database because it’s got to percolate through all of the computer system,” he said. “We gave them six weeks, which is not a ton.”
Despite the fast turnaround, Gerhard said anything connected to the internet—like your phone or computer—should adjust to the new time zone automatically.
That is because of an organization called the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which keeps a time zone database. Gerhard said that database basically keeps the whole internet ticking.
“Anybody that is connected to the internet that needs to know what time it is uses this (time zone) database to look that stuff up – Apple, Google, Microsoft,” he said.
IANA has already sent out an update recognizing Manitoba’s permanent daylight saving time zone.
“Some computer systems may or may not have that update properly implemented, and so we’ll have to sort of keep an eye on things,” Gerhard said. He noted that older systems or systems that are not directly connected to the internet could still have some problems.
Still, he is not expecting to see Manitoba have its own small version of the Y2K computer bug come November 1.
“I mean, it’s unlikely that planes are going to fall out of the sky. This was what was predicted with Y2K,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) said it has been preparing for Sunday’s change—or the lack of change.
“Our team has been updating internal systems ahead of the time change, so we don’t expect any disruptions,” a WAA spokesperson said in a statement.
The WAA did note that changes to flight schedules are made by the airlines themselves. Therefore, it encourages passengers with questions about flights on or after November 1 to contact their airlines directly.
Other organizations are still trying to catch up.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has shared a warning message on its website.
“Due to recent time zone changes in some provinces and territories, time information may not appear accurately on our website,” the message reads. It adds that the actual content of weather alerts and forecasts remains correct. “We are in the process of updating our systems to reflect these changes and appreciate your patience.”
For Siwicki, he is doing everything he can to make sure Sunday comes and goes without any problems.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that drastic, but we just got to make sure we’re ready,” he said. “We don’t want any surprises.”
Though, at the end of the day, Siwicki admits that only time will tell.
