Permanent daylight saving time

B.C. is adopting permanent year-round daylight saving time (DST) to improve people’s overall health, reduce disruptions for families, simplify scheduling and provide an extra hour of evening light during the winter months.

The transition to one year-round time zone will begin after the province “springs forward” on Sunday, March 8, 2026, when clocks move ahead by one hour. This will be the final time change in British Columbia. People and businesses will have eight months to prepare for Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks would usually be turned back, but now will remain the same. At that point, the transition to Pacific time, the name of B.C.’s new time zone, will be complete.

For the majority of people in B.C. there are no immediate actions. Many clocks will automatically “spring forward” an hour as usual on Sunday, March 8, 2026. On Nov. 1, 2026, when previously clocks would have been turned back an hour, no change will be made, and the adjustment will not be required.

Pacific time will be set seven hours behind co-ordinated universal time (UTC-7), matching the current offset used during daylight saving time.

Why permanent DST makes sense for B.C.

In summer 2019, the Province conducted a public engagement on time observance that saw participation from a record 223,000 people, with 93% supporting adopting year-round DST. Similarly, across all industry groups and nearly all occupational groups, support for year-round DST observance was higher than 90%.

Evidence suggests there are many benefits to ending the seasonal time change, including:

• more consistency and fewer disruptions to sleep patterns, school schedules, and daily routines
• more usable light in the evenings in winter, allowing more leisure time, participation in outdoor activities and consumer activity
• reduced administrative burden for small businesses and service providers who may require less system reprogramming, schedule shifts and operational resets every spring and fall
• more consistency for planning across transportation and technology services

How the change will be made

The Interpretation Amendment Act, which is the legal framework that enables the Province to adopt permanent DST, became law in 2019. At the time, government chose not to bring it into force in order to co-ordinate timing with neighbouring U.S. states in the same time zone.

Recent actions from the U.S. have shifted how B.C. approaches decisions that merit alignment, including on time zones. Making this change now reflects the current preferences and needs of British Columbians, and helps ensure the province is well-positioned to thrive, even when circumstances across the border evolve.

Regulation will bring the amendments into effect after Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Government will work closely with organizations, small businesses, and public-sector partners between March and November 2026 to ensure a smooth, well-co-ordinated transition to permanent DST.

Locations that observe mountain time

Parts of northern B.C. and the Kootenays currently observe different time practices than the rest of the province, in accordance with their local charters. Those regions will not be affected by these changes. As a result of Pacific time no longer changing twice a year, many of these communities will be brought into greater alignment with the rest of British Columbia.

People in northeastern B.C. (Peace River region and the northern Rocky Mountains) who currently observe mountain standard time (UTC-7) year round will continue to do so.

This means they will align with the rest of B.C. in the Pacific time zone, though they are not required to adopt that specific label. This includes:

• Dawson Creek
• Fort St. John
• Fort Nelson (and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality)
• Chetwynd
• Hudson's Hope
• Taylor
• Tumbler Ridge
• Note: Fort Ware (Kwadacha Nation) is an exception, using Pacific Time. 

People in southeastern B.C. (East Kootenay and Golden region) currently switch between mountain standard time and mountain daylight time, in line with Alberta.

Under the new system, people in these regions will remain aligned with Alberta and continue to switch between UTC-7 in the winter and UTC-6 in the summer. This includes:

• Golden
• Cranbrook
• Fernie
• Sparwood
• Invermere
• Kimberley
• Radium Hot Springs
• Elkford

Just as they can today, local governments will retain the power to determine what time zone they observe. They can choose to shift to permanent daylight time and Pacific time, along with the rest of B.C., if they prefer.