Canadian province to adopt year-round daylight saving time
ReutersBritish Columbia will adopt year-round daylight saving time, the western Canadian province has announced.
The coming one-hour clock change on 8 March 2026 will be the last one for the province, meaning the next time change scheduled for 1 November will be eliminated as British Columbia (BC) transitions to a year-round daylight savings time.
The new time zone is intended to reduce disruptions for families and provide an extra hour of evening light during winter months, according to the office of Premier David Eby.
Eby said on Monday constituents have made it clear that seasonal time changes "do not work for them".
"This decision isn't just about clocks. It's about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy," he said in a statement.
"I am hopeful that our American neighbours will soon join us in ending disruptive time changes."
A 2019 public engagement report in the province found that 93% of participants supported year-round daylight saving time, citing health and wellness concerns.
There is a small region with a handful of communities in the eastern part of the province that observe mountain time, not Pacific time, and will still see their clocks change twice a year.
From November until March, Pacific time will match the neighbouring province of Alberta and other regions observing mountain standard time.
From March until November, Pacific time will align with US west coast states like California, Washington, Oregon, which are all considering a similar change.
BC joins many countries, including much of Asia and most of Africa, in abolishing the custom of daylight saving time over the last decade.
But a majority of the United States, most of Europe, and parts of Canada, Australia, Latin America, Brazil and the Caribbean continue to adjust their clocks.
Half of countries globally previously observed the clock changes, according to a 2023 analysis by Pew Research Center. But just one third now maintain the practice.
Health experts cite and climate issues as reasons to abolish the time changes.
The seasonal time change means clocks jump forward one hour in the spring to be on daylight save time. Clocks turn back one hour in the autumn to be on standard time.
