British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba stop changing their clocks

Three Canadian provinces and one territory did not turn their clocks back on Sunday, November 1, ending the twice-yearly time change and creating new time differences across North America.

British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories will now stay on a single time all year. The rest of Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, fell back one hour as usual, along with most of the United States.

What changed

• British Columbia made its last seasonal change in March and now stays on what was Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) all year.
• Alberta passed its Official Time Act, which received royal assent on May 14 and took effect on June 18, and stays on what was Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) year-round.
• Manitoba adopts Manitoba Standard Time, equivalent to UTC-5, throughout the year.
• The Northwest Territories made a similar change.

Saskatchewan and Yukon already did not change their clocks.

The knock-on effects

The changes reshape familiar time differences. Until the United States springs forward in March, Vancouver is one hour ahead of Seattle, its neighbour across the border. Manitoba is now one hour ahead of Alberta and Saskatchewan year-round, and on the same time as Ontario in winter.

The shift affects flight schedules, broadcasts, business meetings and software. Microsoft has added new time zones for British Columbia and Alberta to its calendar systems, and companies have been advised to check that their systems are up to date.

Why provinces made the switch

Surveys in Canada, as in the United States, have long shown that most people want to stop changing the clocks, citing disrupted sleep, health effects and the inconvenience. British Columbia passed legislation in 2019 to adopt permanent daylight time but had waited for US states on the West Coast to do the same, which has not happened because it would require approval from the US Congress.

Choosing permanent daylight time means lighter evenings in winter but darker mornings, a trade-off sleep experts have criticised. Supporters say brighter evenings benefit businesses, recreation and road safety.

A patchwork

The move adds to a growing patchwork of time rules in North America. For travellers and businesses working across borders, the safest advice is simple: double-check the time.