Also, around the time Fleming’s idea became popular, Britain had already begun using their own timing system, taking their point of origin to be the Greenwich Meridian. With time, Fleming’s proposition became widely accepted. He explained that since the earth rotates 15 degrees every hour (or 360 degrees in 24 hours), dividing the world into 24 time zones that were each 15 degrees of longitude apart made sense. He was mainly instrumental in having a unified world timing system by helping to convene the International Meridian Conference. It was Sir Sanford Fleming, in 1878, who first proposed the idea of using international time zones. The need for a better and unified timing-keeping system became not only noticeable but urgent. The reason for this was simple-many trains were scheduled to operate at specific times for both departure and arrival. Time calculation also became a severe problem for long-distance travelers. His discovery became the foundation upon which Act 5 George III (the Longitude Act) was built: the same longitudinal concept that we still use today.Īlthough the Longitude Act made it easier to locate ships at sea at the period, the heightened need for an efficient, time-saving system of telecommunication and the expansion of various means of transportation in the 19th century became a stumbling block.

Then in 1764, an English horologist, named John Harrison, invented the clock that could be used to determine the location of a ship at sea. One of the drawbacks of the pendulum clock, however, was that it could not accurately measure time for scientific purposes and could not also sufficiently determine longitude at sea. The sun was used to measure time, with people telling the time using sundials.Īs time went by, and around the 17th century, some other tools such as pendulum clocks came onto the scene. An example of these large clocks was the Time Bell (Zytglogge Tower) in Switzerland. What usually was the ‘standard’ was, in many cases, a clock tower or large clock placed in strategic places in these locations where everyone could see it. In the United States alone, there were more than 300 local times during this period. Time varied across short distances, and there were no time standards. The second reason is that Newfoundland was a separate dominion when time zones were established in Canada.A few centuries ago, every country, city, and town of the world was actually on its own time. The reason for the unique 30-minute time zone is twofold: In terms of solar mean time, Newfoundland is located almost exactly 3.5 hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is based on the prime meridian (0° longitude). Newfoundland Daylight Time (NDT), the island's Daylight Saving Time, is UTC-2:30. The standard time is Newfoundland Standard Time (NST), which is UTC-3:30. Newfoundland, in Canada's most easterly province Newfoundland and Labrador, follows its own time zone.

However, some locations on the province borders use different time zones, including Lloydminster, Creighton, and Denare Beach. Most of Saskatchewan observes Central Standard Time (CST) all year round, with no Daylight Saving Time (DST). Blanc-Sablon), Southampton Island, and some areas in British Columbia. They include Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, some locations in Québec east of 63° westerly longitude (e.g. They will become active again after the next clock change as Daylight Saving Time begins or ends. The above time zones are used during other parts of the year. Time Zones Not Currently Being Observed in Canada Offset Note: Local time in these time zones changes when Daylight Saving Time begins and ends. For example, Central Time (CT) refers to Central Standard Time (CST) or Central Daylight Time (CDT), depending on which is currently in use. Like in the US, Canada's time zones are often referred to by their generic name, without making a difference between standard time and Daylight Saving Time designations. Generalized Time Zones in Canada Time Zone Abbreviation & Name Time Zones Currently Being Used in Canada OffsetĬanada has 6 standard time zones with 6 corresponding Daylight Saving Time (DST) time zones.

Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).

Pst time now