Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleThere is no B.C. time change this weekend. When Sunday, Nov. 1 arrives, clocks across British Columbia will stay exactly where they are, for the first time in decades. If you are used to an extra hour of sleep on the first Sunday of November, this year you will not get one.
The province made its last seasonal clock change on March 8, 2026, when clocks sprang forward one hour. B.C. now stays on that time all year. The new year-round time is called Pacific Time.
Why there is no B.C. time change this fall
Then-premier David Eby announced the move on March 2. “When we change our clocks twice a year, it creates all kinds of problems,” he said. “Kids get up at the same time, even though the clocks changed.”
B.C. passed a law in 2019 to end the clock change but had said it would wait for Washington, Oregon and California to move together. Eby said that wait was over. “We had committed to wait for our American partners,” he said. “But the reality is that they’re stuck.”
Attorney General Niki Sharma made the November plan clear at the time: “On Nov. 1, when clocks would normally be turned back, no change will be made.”
How the B.C. time change affects calls, meetings and travel
Nothing changes on your own clock. What changes is how B.C. lines up with places that still fall back.
- Ontario and Quebec fall back on Nov. 1. Toronto and Ottawa will be two hours ahead of Surrey and Vancouver this winter, not three. A 9 a.m. meeting in Toronto is 7 a.m. here.
- Alberta is also ending its seasonal clock changes this fall. Check the gap with Calgary and Edmonton before booking calls.
- Washington, Oregon and California fall back on Nov. 1. From then until March, B.C. will be one hour ahead of Seattle and Los Angeles.
- Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon also do not change clocks this fall.
The U.S. gap matters most for cross-border workers, truck drivers, businesses with American clients and anyone booking flights, ferries or appointments south of the border. Departure times are always shown in local time, so check carefully.
Calling family in India, Pakistan and the Philippines
For many families in Surrey, Delta and across Metro Vancouver, the most practical question is the gap with relatives overseas. Most of these countries do not change their clocks, so the gap with B.C. is now the same all year.
- India: 12 and a half hours ahead of B.C., all year. In past winters it grew to 13 and a half.
- Pakistan: 12 hours ahead, all year.
- Philippines and China: 15 hours ahead, all year.
So a 7 p.m. call from Surrey still reaches Punjab at 7:30 a.m. the next morning, as it did all summer.
Check your devices on Sunday
Phones and computers that update automatically should keep the right time. Older devices may still try to fall back on their own. On Sunday morning, check:
- Car dashboard clocks
- Microwaves, ovens and alarm clocks
- Older smartwatches, security cameras and work time-clock systems
If a device has jumped back an hour, set it forward again. Businesses using scheduling or payroll software should confirm with their provider that the B.C. update has been applied.
Not everyone welcomed it
Business groups pushed back when the plan was announced. Bridgitte Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, called it “an unwelcome distraction.” Ryan Mitton of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said it came “after a rushed and limited consultation process.”
Some communities in southeastern B.C. follow Mountain Time. Residents there should check with their local government about how the B.C. time change applies to them.
The policy was brought in by the previous NDP government. The incoming B.C. Conservative government, led by premier-designate Lorne Doerkson, has not yet been sworn in, and StudioX News has found no statement from it about changing the policy. Read more on Doerkson’s transition plan.
The bottom line: leave your clocks alone this Sunday. For background on the decision, see Global News coverage of the March announcement.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
