BC is Adopting Permanent Daylight Saving Time
This weekend is the final time we will need to “spring forward” and change our clocks in BC as the province adopts permanent Daylight Saving Time.
BC is Adopting Permanent Daylight Saving Time
Pacific time will be set seven hours behind co-ordinated universal time (UTC-7), matching the current offset used during daylight saving time.
Quick Facts
- BC’s new time zone, Pacific time, will be aligned with the Yukon year round.
- From November until March annually, Pacific time will match Alberta and other regions observing mountain standard time.
- From March until November every year, Pacific time will align with California, Washington, Oregon and other Pacific daylight time jurisdictions.
- Neighbour jurisdictions like Washington, Oregon and California are all in the process of creating or enacting similar legislation.
BC’s 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 November 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 BC’s new time zone, will be complete.
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
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 states in the same time zone.
Recent actions from the United States have shifted how British Columbia 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.
Mountain Time Locations in BC
There are a small number of communities in eastern parts of British Columbia that observe some form of mountain time instead of Pacific time. Those regions will not be affected by these changes. However, 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. More details can be found online.
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