March 8, 2026, is the last time most British Columbians will change their clocks — what you need to know

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Most British Columbians will wake up Sunday having lost an hour of sleep — one that they’ll never gain back come November, given the province will have shifted to permanent daylight time year-round.

For over 70 years, most residents of the province had gotten used to observing daylight saving time — moving their clocks ahead an hour in March, and rolling them back to standard time in November.

But after years of promises, and research showing that clock-changing was detrimental for people’s health, B.C. finally decided to make the shift to a permanent time zone.

Here’s what you need to know about British Columbia’s shift to the Pacific time zone.

WATCH | How time changes affect your health:

How the time change in B.C. affects your health

While many people are resisting the change to daylight time, CBC reporter Tara Carman found regional differences to staying with one time zone, while SFU psychology professor Myriam Juda says the time change has a big impact on our health.

What is the new time zone?

B.C.’s Pacific time zone is seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) — the same as the Yukon, which made the change in 2020.

On Saturday, the bulk of B.C. is on Pacific standard time — the same time zone observed by Washington state and California during the winter months.

Come Sunday, clocks will move ahead one hour in B.C., just like it will in those western U.S. states, and they will be on the same time zone in the summer.

But in November, B.C. won’t “fall back” an hour. B.C. will then be on the same time zone as Alberta in winter, and an hour ahead of its southern U.S. neighbours.

Can towns set their own time zones?

Yes, and there are some regional variations already when it comes to the time in B.C.

Regions like the Peace region of northeast B.C. and the town of Creston, which used to observe mountain standard time, will now be aligned with the rest of B.C. year-round and be on Pacific time.

The southeast portion of B.C. — which includes Cranbrook, Fernie, Kimberley and Golden — is aligned with Alberta, observing mountain standard time in the winter and springing forward an hour into mountain daylight time in the spring.

This will continue to be the practice for the time being, which means the East Kootenay will be an hour ahead of the rest of B.C. in the summer months but on the same clocks in the winter.

Why daylight time, and not standard time?

B.C.’s Ministry of the Attorney General told CBC News in an emailed statement that the extra evening daylight on permanent daylight time will have benefits in terms of more time for outdoor activity and safer commutes.

“Concentrating limited winter daylight at the end of the day aligns better with when most people are active, which could help reduce collisions and improve overall well‑being,” the statement read.

The government cited a 2019 survey, in which 223,000 British Columbians voted and 93 per cent of them supported daylight time.

However, it is notable that switching to standard time was not an option on the survey.

Sleep researchers have told CBC News that, while doing away with clock-changing will be beneficial for public health, year-round standard time would have led to less sleep disruption overall.

WATCH | Eby calls on western U.S. states to follow B.C.’s lead:

Eby calls on 3 U.S. states to switch to new Pacific time zone

Not everyone is celebrating British Columbia’s decision to adopt permanent daylight saving time. Scientists who study sleep are warning that it will have a negative effect on overall health, especially for children. The CBC’s Tara Carman has been following this story.

How did we get here?

B.C. had passed legislation to switch to permanent daylight time all the way back in 2019, following that public survey.

But the provincial government at the time said the move would only be made in conjunction with the western U.S. states of California, Washington and Oregon.

While those states — and the U.S. federal government — saw numerous attempts to get rid of clock-changing, most legislative attempts failed.

And amid fraying U.S. relations, the B.C. government decided 2026 would be the right year to make the time shift alone.

WATCH | Not everyone’s happy about B.C.’s move:

Is it the end of daylight saving time?

B.C. just ended time changes — for good. Here’s how it could spark a wave across Canada, and why not everyone’s happy about it.