British Columbia to end time changes, adopt year-round daylight time
Source: Hacker News
March 8 will be the last time most British Columbians have to change their clocks, premier announces
Posted: Mar 02, 2026 3:21 PM EST
The B.C. government says this Sunday will be the last time most British Columbians have to change their clocks. From now on the province will stay on permanent daylight time, and the March 8 “spring forward” will be the final clock change.
“We are done waiting. British Columbia is going to change our clocks just one more time — and then never again,” Premier David Eby said.
Residents will have eight months to prepare for Nov 1, 2026, when the clocks would have been turned back one hour but will now remain the same. B.C.’s new time zone will be called “Pacific time.”
A public engagement report (2019) found that 93 % of respondents preferred year‑round daylight time. Of those, three‑quarters cited health and wellness concerns.
Eby noted that neighboring U.S. states (California, Oregon, Washington) are waiting on congressional approval to make the same change, and said it was time for B.C. to stop waiting.
“This decision isn’t just about clocks, it’s about quality of life for British Columbians.”
Eby explained that changing clocks creates “all types of problems,” from disrupted sleep for children and parents to increased car accidents. He pointed out that the Yukon has already adopted permanent daylight time and expressed hope that American neighbours will follow suit.
The province clarified that some eastern communities that observe “mountain time” will not be affected. For example:
- Dawson Creek (mountain standard time year‑round) will stay aligned with most of B.C. in both winter and summer.
- Cranbrook (switches between mountain standard and mountain daylight time) will align with the province in winter but be one hour ahead in summer.
Sunrise and sunset under permanent daylight time
- Earliest sunrise in June (Vancouver): 5:06 a.m. – see the CBC interactive calculator.
- Latest sunrise in December: 9:08 a.m. (National Research Council 2025 calculator).
- Earliest sunset in December: 5:14 p.m.
- Latest sunset in June: 9:22 p.m.
Niki Sharma, B.C.’s attorney general, called the change “a long time coming.”
“B.C.’s been observing this twice‑annual time change on and off since 1918. And now, nearly 110 years later, we get to be the lucky ones who no longer have to worry about the nuisance of cataloguing every analogue clock in our possession.”
“Here’s to a future where kids and pets get the sleep that they need, and the grown‑ups too,” Eby added.