Change to permanent daylight saving about 'reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy,' says premier
British Columbia will change its clocks for the last time on March 8, 2026, when the province moves to permanent daylight saving time and adopts a new year-round “Pacific time” zone.
The change is aimed at improving health and reducing disruption, says the government. It describes the shift to permanent daylight saving time (DST) as a move “to improve people’s overall health, reduce disruptions for families, simplify scheduling and provide an extra hour of evening light during the winter months.”
The Interpretation Amendment Act, passed in 2019, provides the legal framework to adopt permanent DST, according to the B.C. government.
After clocks move ahead one hour on Sunday, March 8, 2026, there will be no more seasonal time changes in most of the province. The B.C. government says people and businesses will have eight months to prepare for Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks would normally be turned back but will now remain the same. At that point, the transition to permanent Pacific time, set at UTC‑7, will be complete.
'Reducing disruptions for businesses'
Premier David Eby says the decision responds to long-standing public concern about the twice-yearly 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,” he says. “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.”
In comments reported by CBC, Eby notes that the province is no longer waiting for U.S. states to act. “We are done waiting. British Columbia is going to change our clocks just one more time — and then never again,” he says, according to the publication, adding that changing the clocks causes “all types of problems, from children and their parents losing sleep, to dogs getting up at the wrong time, to more car accidents.”
Doing away with DST could bring many positives to workers’ health, according to a previous report.
The move from B.C. reflects strong public backing. “We have heard the overwhelming majority of people in B.C. who want to end the back-and-forth of seasonal time changes,” says Attorney General Niki Sharma.
“This shift offers more stability, supports public well-being and reduces twice-yearly, unnecessary disruptions to the routines of parents, shift workers, small businesses, pet owners and so many more. I look forward to all of us enjoying an extra hour of sunlight after work and school for many winters to come.”
Health concerns of daylight saving
In 2019, a provincial engagement process drew a record 223,000 participants, with 93 per cent supporting year-round DST; across all industry and nearly all occupational groups, support exceeded 90 per cent, the Province says. CBC reports that three-quarters of respondents who preferred permanent daylight time did so for health and wellness reasons, citing concerns about sleep disruption and its knock-on effects.
CBC also quotes UBC business professor Werner Antweiler as saying that time changes, particularly the spring shift forward, impose “jet lag on the entire population,” and that eliminating them could reduce harm.
Under the new system, Pacific time will align with the Yukon year-round. From November to March, B.C. will match Alberta and other regions observing mountain standard time; from March to November, it will align with California, Washington, Oregon and other Pacific daylight time jurisdictions, according to the B.C. government.
Some eastern B.C. communities that already observe mountain time will not change, but their relationship to the rest of the province will shift. Dawson Creek, which observes mountain standard time year-round, will be on the same time as most of B.C. in both winter and summer. Places such as Cranbrook, which switch between mountain standard and mountain daylight time, will be aligned with most of the province in winter but one hour ahead in summer. CBC notes that the East Kootenay, the Peace Region and Creston will continue to follow their existing mountain or non-changing regimes.
Many Canadians struggle with productivity after daylight savings, and it leading to a weeks-long decline, according to separate studies.
Mixed reaction from business and industry
The reaction from business groups is divided, according to the CBC report.
Bridgitte Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, agreed in a statement that “the unilateral change in time is an unwelcome distraction that will make it more difficult to attract and retain businesses in British Columbia,” adding that “the choice to change the time unilaterally will create an additional headache for businesses operating on both sides of the border.”
CBC also cites Ryan Mitton, B.C. director of legislative affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, who warned that while some people may welcome not having to reset clocks, the move may cause “confusion and disruption.” He argued that the shift “appears motivated by an attempt to distract from the province’s $13-billion deficit, not genuine concern for the impacts of the time change.”
The Vancouver Airport Authority told CBC that alignment is “fundamental” for airline operations and efficient scheduling. “We will work with industry to better understand the potential schedule and passenger implications of moving to permanent daylight saving time without neighbouring jurisdictions also following suit,” the authority said.
Previously, Dr. Zeitzer, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford Medicine said: “We found that staying in standard time or staying in daylight saving time is definitely better than switching twice a year.”
