Daylight saving time in Canada

In Canada, daylight saving time (DST) is observed in eight of the country's ten provinces and two of its three territories—though with exceptions in parts of several provinces and Nunavut.

Canadian daylight saving time
Observed by	Alberta British Columbia (partly) Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut (mostly) Ontario (mostly) Prince Edward Island Quebec (mostly) Saskatchewan (partly)
Begins	Second Sunday in March
Ends	First Sunday in November
2025 date	March 9 – November 2
2026 date	March 8 – November 1
2027 date	March 14 – November 7
First time	1908 (1908)
Related to	Daylight saving time

Under the Canadian Constitution, laws related to timekeeping are a provincial and territorial matter. Most of Saskatchewan, despite geographically being in the Mountain Time Zone, observes year-round Central Standard Time (CST). This results in the province effectively being on year-round daylight saving time. In 2020, Yukon abandoned seasonal time change and moved to permanently observe year-round UTC−7. In 2026, British Columbia decided to move to a permanent Pacific Time (essentially year-round Pacific Daylight Time). This change came into effect on March 8, 2026, when the province moved to Pacific Daylight Time permanently; the provincial government announced it would not move back to Pacific Standard Time that November, when daylight saving time ends for the year in Canada and the US. In April 2026, Alberta announced legislation to permanently adopt Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) year-round, branding the proposal Alberta Time.

In the regions of Canada that use daylight saving time, it begins on the second Sunday of March at 2 a.m. and ends on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. As a result, daylight saving time lasts in Canada for a total of 34 weeks (238 days) every year, about 65 percent of the entire year.

History

Port Arthur, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay) was the first municipality in the world to enact daylight saving time, on July 1, 1908. (Germany later became the first country to adopt the time change, on April 30, 1916.)

Five Canadian cities, by local ordinance, subsequently used daylight saving time before 1918: Regina, Saskatchewan, on April 23, 1914; Brandon and Winnipeg, Manitoba, on April 24, 1916; Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 1, 1916; Hamilton, Ontario, on June 4, 1916. St. John's, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador) also used DST before 1918, but Newfoundland itself did not become a province of Canada until 1949.

In practice, since the late 1960s, DST across Canada has been closely or completely synchronized with its observance in the United States to facilitate consistent economic and social interaction. When daylight time became standardized across the US in 1966 when its Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, Canada soon followed. DST ended in October until 1986, when the end of the period was changed to November. When the United States extended DST in 1987 to the first Sunday in April, all DST-observing Canadian jurisdictions followed suit.

In 2005, the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which added parts of March and November to the period during which DST is observed, starting in 2007. The new transition dates were adopted by each of Canada's provinces and territories (except Saskatchewan) between 2005 and 2007, resulting in Canada and the US remaining synchronized.

Beginning in the late 2010s, many regions in Canada began to consider ending the practice of clock changes by adopting daylight saving time year-round. In 2019 and 2020, British Columbia and Ontario passed legislation to enable such a change, although the implementation was delayed to allow coordination with neighbouring US states. In 2020, Yukon made the change, choosing not to "fall back" in November and remaining on UTC−7 year-round. Despite no changes on the American side of the border, British Columbia enacted their 2019 bill in 2026, joining Yukon in observing UTC−7. Later in 2026, Alberta and Northwest Territories began the legal process to adopt UTC−6 year-round.

By province and territory

Time zones of Canada. British Columbia (BC), Yukon (YT), and Saskatchewan (SK) observe fixed UTC offsets year-round and are rendered here under the corresponding standard time zones to the east – Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) for BC and YT, and Central Standard Time (UTC−6) for SK.

The provinces and territories that observe DST in Canada are:

• Alberta (currently observes seasonal Mountain Time; legislation introduced April 2026 to permanently adopt Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6), pending proclamation by the lieutenant governor of Alberta)
• British Columbia (southeastern regions only)
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut (excluding Southampton Island)
• Ontario (excluding some northwestern regions)
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec (excluding eastern Quebec)

The city of Lloydminster and town of Creighton in Saskatchewan also observe daylight saving time.

Alberta and Northwest Territories

Alberta observes Mountain Time, switching between Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) in winter and Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) in summer. In February 2006, Alberta was among the provinces that extended its daylight saving period to align with changes introduced by the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.

In 2021, the provincial government held a referendum on permanently adopting daylight saving time, which was narrowly defeated (50.2% against, 49.8% in favour). The referendum did not offer permanent Mountain Standard Time as an option, a limitation critics noted as skewing the framing of the question. The 2026 public consultation formally offered permanent Mountain Standard Time as an alternative, but the government proceeded with permanent MDT — an offset equivalent to Central Standard Time.

Following British Columbia's move to permanent Pacific Daylight Time in March 2026, the Alberta government conducted public consultations on eliminating biannual clock changes. In April 2026, Premier Danielle Smith introduced legislation to permanently adopt Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) year-round, characterizing this as Alberta Time; the bill was introduced to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for debate that month. Health researchers and chronobiologists argued that permanent Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) would better align with solar noon and human circadian rhythms, and that permanent daylight saving time carries measurable health risks.

Geographically, permanent Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) gives Alberta the same clock offset as Central Standard Time, meaning the province would effectively operate one time zone east of its meridian-appropriate position; some map editors and geographers therefore classify a permanently UTC−6 Alberta under the Central Time Zone for cartographic purposes. Chronobiologists argue this misalignment with solar noon compounds the health effects already associated with permanent summer time, including elevated risks to cardiovascular health, sleep, and metabolic function. Neighbouring Saskatchewan has observed year-round Central Standard Time (UTC−6) since The Time Act, 1966; the Saskatchewan government notes that "theoretically, Saskatchewan is located within the MST zone, so for most of the province clocks are one hour advanced from this." If Alberta's legislation passes, both provinces would share the UTC−6 offset year-round, with Saskatchewan's situation serving as a precedent for the solar misalignment that permanent summer-offset time produces.

In 2026, the Northwest Territories also introduced legislation to adopt UTC−6 year-round. A key motivation for the change was remaining in sync with Alberta due to close economic and cultural links.

Atlantic Canada

In 2022, the premiers of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia discussed the possibility of adopting permanent daylight time. Their discussion followed the US Senate passing a bill to make DST permanent; this bill died in the US House of Representatives. In 2026, the premier of Nova Scotia stated that adopting permanent DST was a possibility but only in conjunction with the other Atlantic provinces.

British Columbia and Yukon

Most of British Columbia (BC) and all of Yukon functionally follow Mountain Standard Time (UTC−07:00) and do not observe DST. British Columbia calls its time zone Pacific Time, while Yukon calls its Yukon Standard Time. However, there is one exception:

• The East Kootenay region in southeastern British Columbia (including the communities of Cranbrook, Fernie, Sparwood, Golden and Invermere) is on Mountain Time and observes DST. Time in those communities always matches that of Calgary and many of them receive television by way of rebroadcasters of Calgary stations.

In 2006, British Columbia and Yukon each added parts of March and November to the daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

In 2020, Yukon abandoned seasonal time changes, moving to year-round UTC−7.

On March 2, 2026, British Columbia premier David Eby announced the end of daylight saving time for the majority of the province, which will see the bulk of the province observe permanent UTC−7, a time observance identical to the Peace River region and neighbouring Yukon. From November to March, the province's time zone will align with neighbouring Alberta. BC has referred to this new time zone as Pacific Time.

Manitoba

Time in Manitoba, all of which runs on Central Time, is dictated by the province's Official Time Act.

In 1916, Brandon and Winnipeg became two of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance. On October 20, 2005, Manitoba added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Nunavut

Main article: Time in Nunavut

The territory of Nunavut has three time zones: Mountain Time in the west, Central Time in the centre and, Eastern Time in the east. Daylight saving time is observed throughout Nunavut except for Southampton Island, including Coral Harbour, and Eureka, which is a permanent research station on Ellesmere Island; both remain on Eastern Standard Time year-round.

On February 19, 2007, Nunavut added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Ontario

Most of Ontario uses DST. Pickle Lake, Atikokan, and New Osnaburgh are three communities within the Central Time Zone in northwestern Ontario that observe Eastern Standard Time year-round.

Ontario was the site of the first municipality in the world to enact DST: Port Arthur on July 1, 1908. Similarly, Hamilton subsequently became one of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance.

On October 20, 2005, Ontario added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period after the United States passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. In November 2020, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario passed Bill 214, the Time Amendment Act, 2020, which will establish year-round observation of daylight saving time. However, the act does not come into force immediately but takes effect on a day to be named by proclamation of the Ontario lieutenant governor under the advisory of the province's attorney general. That is intended to avoid moving to a different time zone from the one that is used in Quebec or New York.

Quebec

Most of Quebec is on Eastern Time and observes DST. However, there are three exceptions, all of which are legally accommodated by the province's Time Act of 2006:

• The Magdalen Islands are on Atlantic Time and observe DST.
• The Listuguj Reserve is on Atlantic Time and observes DST.
• Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality observes Atlantic Standard Time all year.

In the early 20th century, Montreal became one of seven cities in Canada to use daylight saving time before 1918, by local ordinance. On December 5, 2005, Quebec added parts of March and November to its daylight saving period, following the United States' Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Saskatchewan

Main article: Time in Saskatchewan

Although all of Saskatchewan is geographically within the Mountain Time Zone, the province officially observes Central Time year-round. Clocks in most of the province therefore match clocks in Winnipeg during the winter and Calgary and Edmonton during the summer. The Saskatchewan Time Act of 1966 designated the use of CST year-round for eastern Saskatchewan and gave local options for western parts of the province. Since 1972, all western regions of the province (except around Lloydminster) have opted to use CST year-round.

The city of Lloydminster, which is bisected by the Saskatchewan–Alberta boundary, and its immediate surrounding region observe Mountain Time year-round, with officially sanctioned daylight saving time, which in the summer is synchronized with the rest of Saskatchewan. That is to keep clocks on the Saskatchewan side in synchronization with those on the Alberta side since Alberta mandates the use of daylight saving time province-wide. Along the Manitoba border the small, remote Saskatchewan towns of Denare Beach and Creighton unofficially observe Central Daylight Time during the summer to keep the same time as larger neighbouring Manitoba communities.

See also

• Time in Canada
• Daylight saving time by country

External links

• Canadian time zone map from the Atlas of Canada
• North American time zone maps and border data, including Daylight Saving observance