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The biannual tradition of most British Columbians shifting their clocks back and forth an hour to observe daylight time and standard time has been around for over 70 years.
But March 8, 2026, will be the final time for most in the province, as B.C. Premier David Eby announced that the province will be on Pacific time all year from then on.
As the province will now shift to permanent daylight time year-round, with clocks not being changed come Nov. 1, here’s a look at the long history of the “spring forward” and the “fall back” in the province.
1915: Daylight time starts being implemented across Canada, in a bid to reduce coal consumption and extend daylight hours for factory work, according to the B.C. government.
1952: 54 per cent of British Columbians vote in favour of a plebiscite to introduce biannual clock changes.
Ever wonder why we still change our clocks twice a year? From an entomologist’s idea in the 1800s to wartime energy saving and political gridlock today — here’s how daylight saving time began, why it stuck and what’s keeping Canada from finally ending it.
Late 1960s: Most U.S. states and Canadian provinces synchronize their biannual clock changes — “springing forward” an hour around March, and “falling back” an hour later in the year — aligned geographically.
1970s: The Peace region of northeast B.C. does away with the practice of changing its clocks twice a year — moving onto permanent mountain standard time.
While many people are resisting the change to daylight time, CBC reporter Tara Carman found regional differences to staying with one time zone, while SFU psychology professor Myriam Juda says the time change has a big impact on our health.
2007: The B.C. government conducts a public consultation on daylight time. Over 4,000 people respond — only around 10 per cent of whom favour getting rid of the clock-changing.
2014: Fort Nelson in northeast B.C. joins the rest of the surrounding Peace region and switches to permanent mountain standard time.
The town of Creston in southeast B.C. is among a few that has never observed the biannual tradition of changing its clocks for daylight time. As Corey Bullock reports, the province’s premier is mulling the idea of switching to permanent daylight time independent of the U.S.
2018: California, which is aligned with B.C. on changing its clocks, features a ballot proposition during its state election on getting rid of the time change.
Proposition 7 is approved by voters, but it only authorizes the state to shift to a permanent time zone if two-thirds of the state’s upper and lower house vote in favour — an effort which goes on to fail numerous times.
The 2019 bill
May 8, 2019: Washington state’s governor signs a bill that means the state will permanently move to daylight time — if federal laws are changed to allow it.
June 24, 2019: After pressure following the California and Washington votes, then-premier John Horgan’s government introduces a survey on getting rid of the time change.
September 2019: More than 223,000 British Columbians vote in the survey. 93 per cent of participants voted in favour of a move to permanent daylight time. Switching to permanent standard time was not a voting option.
October 2019: The province introduces legislation that will switch most of B.C. to permanent daylight time — but no firm timeline is provided, with the Horgan government saying the shift will happen once California, Washington and neighbouring jurisdictions do so.
Time stands still
2020: Yukon ditches its biannual time change, shifting to Yukon time all year.
2022: The U.S. Senate, for the first time, passes a version of the Sunshine Protection Act that would stop clock-changing in that country. But the bill dies in a House of Representatives committee.
2023: B.C. Premier David Eby says the province will only change its time zone in alignment with “major trading partners” in the south.
B.C. passed legislation in 2019 to stay on daylight time but wants to make the change in concert with the entire West Coast.
In the preceding four years, bills that would authorize Oregon and California to stop clock-changing fail on multiple occasions.
2024: Shortly after his election, U.S. President Donald Trump expresses support for ending the clock changes.
Zones finally shift
January 2025: Florida Senator Rick Scott reintroduces the Sunshine Protection Act in the U.S. Senate. It is currently before both a House and Senate committee.
March 9, 2025: As the relationship between the U.S. and Canada frays, Eby said he’s pondering changing the time zone even before neighbouring U.S. states do.
He suggests in a news conference that B.C. should “stand on our own two feet as a province in relation to everything, including time zones.”
B.C. Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma make an announcement on ending time changes.
March 13, 2025: The Opposition B.C. Conservatives introduce a bill that would end future time changes. It does not go past first reading.
March 2, 2026: Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma finally announce that the province will shift to daylight time year-round.
March 8, 2026: The last time British Columbians will change their clocks and “spring forward.”
