Permanent Daylight Saving Time means major changes in Canada
Five provinces and territories no longer observe the twice-yearly clock changes
For the first time in more than a century, only half of Canada will ‘fall back’ this November after multiple provinces and regions made Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent.
The dramatic change is long-awaited by folks who dislike how early the sun sets during the winter months. However, freezing the clocks year-round may have some unintended drawbacks.
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A twice-yearly tradition ending in much of Canada
Daylight Saving Time, sometimes called summer time, begins in March and ends in November.
The practice of “springing forward” by one hour in March started in the early 1900s as a way to make the most of long summer days, with clocks “falling back” an hour to the original (standard) time in November.
Modern life and advanced technology have largely made the agrarian need for an adjusted daylight schedule a thing of the past.
As a result, many people throughout countries that observe DST have pushed their political leaders to scrap the disruptive time adjustments, usually in favour of leaving clocks fixed on summer time that would provide later winter sunsets.
The movement picked up steam in 2026, culminating in significant changes throughout Western Canada.
Leaders in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, parts of northwestern Ontario, and the Northwest Territories have chosen to make DST permanent beginning this year.
Saskatchewan and the Yukon stopped observing time changes in 1966 and 2020, respectively.
As of 2026, the twice-yearly time changes will continue across large swaths of Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and Nunavut.
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What time is it?
Figuring out the time in another province can prove challenging in a country as large as Canada. The western half of the country switching to permanent summer time will throw an additional wrench in the equation.
Vancouver will run either two or three hours behind Toronto depending on the season. Portions of the eastern B.C. Interior will remain aligned with Alberta’s time zone.
Clocks in Saskatchewan, which opted to stick with standard time many decades ago, will remain synced with Alberta throughout the year. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan is now permanently one hour behind Manitoba as a result of this change.
Benefits come with drawbacks
Advocates of remaining on summer time all year tout the benefits of later sunsets on residents’ physical and mental health. Removing the sleep disruption of clock adjustments can also have a net-positive effect on one’s health.
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“It’s about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy,” B.C. Premier David Eby said when the province announced its decision in March 2026.
But there are some drawbacks, according to those who wish to remain on the status quo.
Fixing the clocks one hour ahead of standard time will make sunsets one hour later during the winter months. This also means that the sun will rise an hour later, as well.
Provinces that opted to remain on summer time year-round won’t see the sunrise until or after 9:00 a.m. during the heart of the winter months. Vancouver will now see a 9:07 a.m. sunrise on New Year’s Day. The sunrise on Jan. 1 in Edmonton will occur at 9:50 a.m. after this change.
Pushing the sunrise one hour later will shift the impacts of icy roads and poor visibility one hour deeper into the morning commute, potentially endangering drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. The one- and two-hour delays often used by school systems during inclement weather would be far less effective at avoiding these impacts.
Among other changes, this change also means some popular ski resorts will delay opening the slopes until it's light enough for safe operations.
The U.S. experimented with permanent summer time back in the mid-1970s. Later winter sunrises proved so unpopular (and dangerous to morning commuters) that Congress reverted to twice-yearly clock changes after just one year.