BC won't fall back Nov. 1: what changes and what doesn't

BC clocks do not change on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. The Province says the spring forward on March 8 "will be the final time change in British Columbia," and that on Nov. 1, "when previously clocks would have been turned back an hour, no change will be made."

The part that will catch people out is south of the border. Washington and the rest of the US still fall back on Nov. 1, so from that morning BC is one hour ahead of Seattle until US clocks spring forward on March 14, 2027.

If you only check one thing this weekend, make it anything you have booked across the border: that is where a one-hour mix-up actually costs you.

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Do BC clocks change on Nov. 1?

No. Order in Council 63/2026, approved and ordered March 2, 2026, says that "effective March 9, 2026, (a) the Interpretation Amendment Act, 2019, S.B.C. 2019, c. 41, is brought into force, and (b) the Daylight Saving Time Regulation, B.C. Reg. 136/2006, is repealed."

The 2019 Act, which received royal assent on Nov. 28, 2019, replaced the old rules with one line that matters: "'Pacific Time' means 7 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)." The Province's release puts it plainly: "Pacific time will be set seven hours behind co-ordinated universal time (UTC-7), matching the current offset used during daylight saving time."

The Province says the 2019 law was left on the shelf to line up with neighbouring US states, and that "recent actions from the U.S. have shifted how B.C. approaches decisions that merit alignment, including on time zones."

What "Pacific time" means

Pacific time is the name of BC's new time zone. It is UTC-7 all year. In practice that is the same clock time BC has been on since March 8.

The Province's release notes that BC's new time will be "aligned with the Yukon year round." Yukon announced in March 2020 that it would stay on Pacific Daylight Saving Time after its March 8, 2020 clock change.

Alberta is ending its clock changes too. The Alberta government says that "beginning in November 2026, clocks will no longer reset to Mountain Standard Time," and that Alberta Time "is equivalent to UTC-6:00." So Alberta stays one hour ahead of most of BC all year.

Darker mornings, lighter evenings

Because BC is not falling back, winter sunrises and sunsets are both one hour later on the clock than they would have been on old standard time. Here is Vancouver:

| Date | Sunrise (new) | Sunrise (old standard time) | Sunset (new) | Sunset (old standard time) | |---|---|---|---|---| | Sat, Oct. 31 | 7:59 a.m. | same | 5:52 p.m. | same | | Sun, Nov. 1 | 8:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 5:50 p.m. | 4:50 p.m. | | Mon, Nov. 2 | 8:02 a.m. | 7:02 a.m. | 5:48 p.m. | 4:48 p.m. | | Fri, Dec. 11 | 8:57 a.m. | 7:57 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 4:13 p.m. | | Mon, Dec. 21 | 9:05 a.m. | 8:05 a.m. | 5:16 p.m. | 4:16 p.m. | | Fri, Jan. 1, 2027 | 9:07 a.m. | 8:07 a.m. | 5:24 p.m. | 4:24 p.m. | | Fri, Jan. 15, 2027 | 9:02 a.m. | 8:02 a.m. | 5:42 p.m. | 4:42 p.m. |

Times are from timeanddate.com's Vancouver sun tables, fetched Oct. 23, 2026, which list local times at UTC-7. The "old standard time" columns are those times minus one hour. Oct. 31 is the same either way because BC was on UTC-7 that day under both systems. Timeanddate lists Dec. 11 as the earliest sunset and Dec. 31 as the latest sunrise.

The Seattle gap: cross-border plans, flights and ferries

US federal law, 15 USC 260a, still sets daylight saving time to end "at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the first Sunday of November." NIST says that in 2026 daylight saving time runs "from March 8 at 2 a.m. (local time) to November 1 at 2 a.m. (local time)."

So from Nov. 1:

• Noon in Vancouver is 11 a.m. in Seattle.
• The gap lasts until US clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March, which is March 14, 2027. After that, BC and Washington show the same time again until the next US fall back.

Is the US about to change too? Not yet. The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 (H.R.139) passed the US House on July 14, 2026, by 308 to 117, and was referred to a Senate committee on July 15, 2026. As of Oct. 25, 2026, Congress.gov lists no further action. The Senate version (S.29) is still in committee. Neither is law.

Washington passed its own permanent daylight time law in 2019, but it only takes effect if Congress allows it. RCW 1.20.052 says: "If the United States congress amends federal law to authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round, the legislature intends that Washington state make daylight saving time the permanent time of the state."

Which parts of BC are different

The Province says local governments choose their time zone, and the areas on mountain time keep their current zone:

• Peace region and northern Rockies (including Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, Hudson's Hope, Taylor and Tumbler Ridge) already use UTC-7 all year, so in practice they now match the rest of BC. The Province notes Fort Ware (Kwadacha Nation) uses Pacific time.
• East Kootenay (including Cranbrook, Fernie, Sparwood, Invermere, Kimberley, Radium Hot Springs and Elkford) stays with Alberta. Because Alberta will not switch on Nov. 1, these communities "remain aligned with Alberta and use MDT (UTC-6) year round," the Province says. That is one hour ahead of the rest of BC all year.
• Golden is the exception. The Province says "Golden will make their last time change on November 1, 2026 to MST (UTC-7) and use it year round," which matches the rest of BC.

What to do this weekend

• Nothing to your clocks, for most people in BC. The Province says "for the majority of people in B.C. there are no immediate actions."
• Check your devices on Sunday morning. Make sure your phone, computer, car and any smart clocks show the right BC time. If something has jumped back an hour on its own, set it forward again and check its time zone setting.
• Double check anything across the border. Meetings, flights, cross-border ferries, games and events listed in US Pacific time will be one hour earlier on BC clocks than you might expect.
• Living in the East Kootenay? Your clocks stay put too, on Alberta's UTC-6. In Golden, clocks fall back one last time on Nov. 1, to UTC-7 for good.

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Sources

• BC Gov News: Adopting permanent daylight saving time (news release 2026AG0013-000209, March 2, 2026)
• Province of BC: B.C.'s new time zone (Pacific time)
• Government of Alberta: Alberta's new time system (ABT)
• BC Laws: Order in Council 63/2026 (PDF)
• BC Laws: Interpretation Amendment Act, 2019, SBC 2019 c. 41 (PDF)
• Yukon government: Yukon to end seasonal time change (March 4, 2020)
• 15 USC 260a, Advancement of time or changeover dates (Cornell LII)
• NIST: Daylight Saving Time
• Washington RCW 1.20.052, Permanent daylight saving time, intent
• Washington RCW 1.20.055, Pacific daylight time (contingent effective date)
• Congress.gov: H.R.139, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, all actions
• Congress.gov: S.29, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
• timeanddate.com: Sunrise and sunset in Vancouver