British Columbia will stop changing its clocks twice a year, with Premier David Eby announcing Monday that daylight saving time will become permanent starting this spring.
The shift takes effect Sunday when clocks move ahead by one hour. After that, B.C. will no longer turn clocks back in November, ending the long standing seasonal time change.
“Every parent knows that changing clocks twice a year causes a significant amount of chaos on already busy lives. British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them,” Eby said in a statement. “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.”
Long Promised Change Finally Enacted
The move comes seven years after the province passed legislation enabling the government to eliminate the twice yearly clock changes. In 2019, a public consultation found 93 per cent of respondents supported permanent daylight saving time. At the time, more than half also indicated they preferred B.C. wait for the United States to act first.
Then premier John Horgan and then attorney general David Eby signalled they would delay implementation to align with neighbouring jurisdictions.
“Operating at a different time zone from our neighbours to the north and south could create uncertainty and unnecessary confusion for business, consumers and travellers,” said Eby in 2019 while debating the legislation. “That’s why the change proposed would not come into effect immediately. Instead, it would happen by regulation so that we can synchronize our time change with those in Yukon and in neighbouring U.S. states on the Pacific coast: Washington, Oregon and California.”
Time Zone Impacts for Businesses and Travellers
Those U.S. states have not adopted permanent daylight time, creating the possibility that B.C. will be one hour ahead of Washington, Oregon and California for part of the year. The province will also align with Alberta for six months and sit an hour behind for the remainder.
Eby said he hopes American lawmakers will follow B.C.’s lead and put an end to what he described as “disruptive time changes.”
