Another province abandons daylight savings time

Manitoba will stop changing its clocks twice a year, joining other Canadian regions in scrapping seasonal clock changes for permanent daylight time – a change that could impact operations of businesses with workers based in more than one jurisdiction.

The B.C. government also said that it will use "PCT" as the official abbreviation for its own year-round time zone.

Premier Wab Kinew said Manitobans made their preference clear after a May 2026 survey drew close to 72,000 responses. Almost all (92 per cent) of respondents wanted an end to seasonal clock changes, while 58 per cent preferred permanent daylight saving time (DST) and 34 per cent favoured permanent standard time.

"We heard from Manitobans loud and clear – no more changing the clocks in Manitoba," Kinew says. "Permanent daylight saving time is good for our health, good for business and good for parents."

Manitoba's clocks will not revert to standard time on Nov. 1, 2026, joining B.C., Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan among provinces moving toward or already on a permanent time standard.

The Manitoba government says it is working closely with organizations, businesses and industry partners as it implements permanent DST. A separate analysis by Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care concluded that eliminating seasonal time changes would benefit population health more than maintaining the status quo, according to the Manitoba government.

Permanent daylight time and payroll

For HR and payroll teams, the shift removes a recurring task tied to the biannual clock change, particularly for employers whose systems account for the lost or gained hour worked by overnight staff. 

Employers still operating in provinces with seasonal changes will need dual scheduling logic for part of the year, a challenge tied to the risks of workplace fatigue in shift-based roles that HR teams have flagged before.

Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce in Winnipeg, says the change simplifies cross-border operations. "Ending the twice-a-year clock change reduces friction for companies working across provincial borders and offers all Manitobans greater predictability and stability," Remillard says. 

Manitoba employers already have a model for this flexibility: individual flex-time agreements introduced under the province's Employment Standards Code let staff and employers adjust daily hours by mutual agreement.

HR and payroll teams should also review shift-differential and overtime provisions tied to time-of-day triggers, since a fixed year-round clock changes when those triggers apply relative to standard time. Employers with collective agreements or policies that reference the seasonal time change directly may need to revisit that language so it reflects Manitoba's permanent standard rather than a biannual shift.

Cross-provincial compliance adds complexity for national employers

Canada now has several differing approaches to seasonal time: permanent daylight time in British Columbia, Yukon and, soon, Manitoba; permanent standard time in Saskatchewan; and continued seasonal switching elsewhere. 

Diana Gibson, Minister of Citizens' Services for British Columbia, says the change offers clear benefits, pointing to "improved overall health, reduced disruptions for families, simplified scheduling and an extra hour of evening light during the winter months."

For employers with staff in multiple provinces, this divergence compounds an already uneven compliance picture, an issue explored further in an analysis of navigating cross-jurisdictional complexities for multi-province employers. HR leaders should confirm which operating provinces have moved to a permanent standard before Nov. 1, 2026, update scheduling software accordingly, and communicate the change clearly to staff.

B.C.'s decision builds on earlier public engagement. In summer 2019, the province held consultations that drew participation from 223,273 people, with 93 per cent supporting a permanent, year-round daylight time standard, according to the provincial government.