How does daylight saving time work in Canada’s western provinces?
By: Brendan Ellis
Canada’s four western provinces – B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – sprawl across three time zones, and each has used a different playbook to handle daylight saving time (DST).
Provincial, territorial and municipal governments took over the regulation of official time zones and DST in 1987.
Originally, DST was implemented in Canada during the First and Second World Wars to preserve energy and increase productivity. The time change was intended to give Canadians another usable hour of daylight in the evening during the spring and summer months.
Between 1988 and 2006, DST in Canada followed the American schedule, moving an hour forward on the first Sunday in April and an hour back on the last Sunday of October.
That schedule shifted slightly in 2007 to the March to November timeline that is used today. For provinces that observe the time change, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Here is a look at how each of the four western provinces has opted to deal with daylight saving time.
British Columbia
In March 2026, British Columbia announced it would be adopting permanent, year-round daylight saving time. The change made “pacific time” B.C.’s permanent time zone.
From November until March, pacific time aligns with Alberta and other regions that observe mountain standard time. It will be aligned with the Yukon year-round.
Some communities in northeastern B.C. will continue to observe mountain standard time year-round (which now fully aligns with pacific time), while parts of southeastern B.C. will continue to switch between mountain standard time and daylight time, in alignment with Alberta.
B.C. said it made the decision 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 permanent time change is in effect starting on March 8, 2026.
Alberta
Alberta follows daylight saving time practices and changes its clocks twice per year, as of March 2026.
Albertans voted on a DST-related referendum question in 2021, with 50.2 per cent voting against a permanent change to daylight saving time. During the referendum process, the provincial government noted that the question focused on daylight saving time rather than standard time, as moving to standard time permanently would put the province out of sync with Saskatchewan and, at that time, potential changes in B.C.
After B.C. made the switch to permanent DST in March 2026, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government is once again looking into a possible change, citing the need for consistency among the western provinces.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan stopped changing its clocks, for the most part, in 1966.
The Time Act established that the majority of the province would observe central standard time year-round. However, some areas in western Saskatchewan around Lloydminster, which sits right on the provincial boundary with Alberta, have the option to observe mountain standard time during the winter. The government notes that recently, most of these areas in the western part of the province have voted to observe central standard time throughout the year.
With one uniform time zone year-round, Saskatchewan shares the time observed by Alberta during the summer and by Manitoba during the winter.
Manitoba
Manitoba also continues to follow daylight saving practices, changing clocks in March and November.
In 2022, the government introduced legislation that allows the province to consider a change to permanent daylight saving time if neighbouring jurisdictions, specifically in the U.S., do the same. The bill intended to keep the province in alignment with trading partners south of the border, should the U.S. make a DST decision. But no change was officially made.
When asked about a possible change after B.C. made its move to permanent DST in March 2026, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said, “not right now.”
Other jurisdictions
Outside of B.C., Saskatchewan and the Yukon, daylight saving time is observed in some capacity in the remaining provinces and territories.
Ontario passed a bill in 2022 that would see the end of biannual time changes, but it was contingent on Quebec and New York State passing similar legislation, which did not happen.
Numerous countries around the world practise DST, including most of Europe, the U.S., Mexico and Australia. In the U.S., most states change their clocks twice per year, except for Arizona and Hawaii. As of 2026, several states are in various stages of changing to either standard or daylight saving time permanently.
Brendan Ellis is a Communications Specialist with the Canada West Foundation.