Canadian time zones and time differences at a glance: now that B.C. keeps one time all year, how many hours Victoria is from other provinces, China and the U.S.

1. The bottom line: from November 2026, B.C. no longer changes its clocks

B.C. now uses one time all year. The B.C. government's explanation published on October 30, 2026 is clear: B.C. has switched to "Pacific time" all year, abbreviated PCT. Moving the clocks forward one hour on March 8, 2026 was B.C.'s last clock change; the clocks would normally have gone back on November 1, but this time they did not, and they will not go forward again in future springs.

What time is PCT? B.C.'s Pacific Time is always 7 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC, explained in the next section), written UTC−7. This is the time B.C. used to use in summer. In other words, B.C. has made daylight saving time its time for the whole year.

What the law says. Section 26 of B.C.'s Interpretation Act now says that "Pacific Time" means 7 hours behind UTC, and that references to time in B.C. law are references to Pacific Time. On the B.C. Laws website, this Act is shown as "current to October 27, 2026".

Why it passed in 2019 but only took effect in 2026. Many older articles still say "B.C. passed a law in 2019, but it has not taken effect yet". That was the situation before March 2026. Here is what happened:

• In summer 2019, B.C. held a public survey; more than 220,000 people took part, and 93% wanted to use daylight saving time all year.
• In October 2019, B.C. introduced the Interpretation Amendment Act, which became law that year. But the government did not bring it into force right away; it planned to wait and change together with its neighbours. The government's 2019 announcement said it was planned to be brought into effect "at a time that maintains alignment with Washington, Oregon, California and Yukon"; it also said the bill does not prevent B.C. from going ahead first when it judges that to be in its own interest.
• On March 2, 2026, the Premier of B.C. announced that B.C. would not wait any longer. The government's announcement said that "Recent actions from the U.S. have shifted how B.C. approaches decisions that merit alignment".
• On March 8, 2026, the government brought the Act into force by regulation (a regulation is a detailed rule the provincial government makes under the authority of a law); that day the clocks moved forward one hour, and they have not changed since.
• On September 17, 2026, the government set the abbreviation PCT.
• On November 1, 2026, B.C. did not move its clocks back.

PST and PDT are no longer used. The B.C. government's explanation says PCT replaces the two seasonal names used before: PST (Pacific Standard Time, UTC−8) and PDT (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC−7). So today, "B.C. time" or "Victoria time" means PCT, which is UTC−7 all year.

The U.S. West Coast still changes its clocks. Washington, Oregon and California still change their clocks under U.S. federal rules (section 8 explains). So from winter 2026, Victoria and Seattle are 1 hour apart in winter and have the same time only in summer.

A few places in B.C. are different. Northeastern B.C. (for example, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John) and southeastern B.C. (for example, Golden and Cranbrook) have always used "Mountain time", and the province did not change their rules this time. The northeast's clock time is exactly the same as Victoria's all year; the southeast is now 1 hour ahead of Victoria all year. Section 4 explains.

If you live in Victoria, there is very little you need to do. The provincial government says most people do not need to do anything. Just remember: your time differences with Eastern Canada, the U.S. and Beijing are not the ones you remember.

Winter mornings will be darker. The provincial government says that using daylight saving time all year gives an extra hour of light in winter evenings. The sun is still the same sun: if evenings get an extra hour of light, mornings get light an hour later. The Regional District of East Kootenay says the same when it explains the choice of time: daylight saving time all year means more daylight in the evening and less in the morning. On winter mornings, when you take the children to school or drive to work, it will be darker than before; turn on your headlights when you drive and wear bright clothes when you walk.

If you have questions, call Service BC. The phone number on this provincial government page is Service BC at 1-800-663-7867, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific Time), closed on B.C. statutory holidays.

2. A few terms to understand first: UTC, PCT, daylight saving time, ET

When you read time notices and online deadlines, you often see the letters below. Once you understand what they mean, the tables later in this guide are easy to read.

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The "standard clock" the whole world sets its time by. Every place's time is written as "so many hours ahead of UTC" or "so many hours behind UTC". UTC−7 means 7 hours behind UTC; UTC+8 means 8 hours ahead of UTC. This way of writing does not change with the seasons or with place names, so it is the hardest to get wrong. Some older notices say GMT (Greenwich Mean Time); for everyday purposes, you can treat it as the same as UTC.

How to work out how many hours apart two places are. Subtract one place's "number after UTC" from the other's. For example, Victoria is −7 and Toronto in winter is −5: −5 minus −7 equals 2, so Toronto is 2 hours ahead of Victoria.

Daylight saving time (DST). Clocks go forward one hour in spring and back again in fall. The period after the clocks go forward is called daylight saving time; the period after they go back is called standard time.

The S and D in time zone abbreviations. An abbreviation with S is standard time (Standard); one with D is daylight saving time (Daylight). For example, Toronto uses EST in winter and EDT in summer. Abbreviations without S or D (such as ET and PT) only tell you the time zone, not whether it is winter or summer; you need to check the date yourself.

Common time abbreviations:

One term to be careful with: "Pacific Time". In B.C., Pacific Time now means PCT, UTC−7 all year. But in the U.S., Pacific Time is PST (UTC−8) in winter and PDT (UTC−7) in summer. When a U.S. company or website writes "10 a.m. PT" in winter, that is 11 a.m. in Victoria. When you see PT, stop and think: was this written by a B.C. organization or a U.S. one?

Another term to be careful with: PST. In the past, many people in B.C. were used to writing PST all year. Now PST properly means UTC−8, the U.S. West Coast's winter time, not B.C.'s current time. If someone writes PST and you are not sure, ask whether they mean Vancouver time.

3. National quick-reference table: how many hours Victoria is from the ten provinces and three territories

First, what "winter" and "summer" mean. B.C. itself no longer has a winter time and a summer time. Below, "winter" and "summer" refer to the eastern provinces and the U.S., which still change their clocks, so their clock times change:

• Winter: from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March of the following year. This round is November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027.
• Summer: from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. The next round is March 14, 2027 to November 7, 2027.

On the changeover day, the new time starts at 2 a.m. local time, when the clocks change.

How to read the table. "+2" means that place is 2 hours ahead of Victoria: when it is 10 a.m. in Victoria, it is already 12 noon there. For places with a fixed time all year, the winter and summer columns are the same.

The easiest points to remember from this table:

• The same as Victoria all year: Yukon, and northeastern B.C.
• 1 hour ahead all year: Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, and southeastern B.C.
• 2 hours ahead all year: Manitoba, and the northwest corner of Ontario (section 4).
• 2 hours ahead in winter and 3 hours ahead in summer: Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal.
• 3 hours ahead in winter and 4 hours ahead in summer: the three Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island).
• 3½ hours ahead in winter and 4½ hours ahead in summer: the island of Newfoundland. Newfoundland's time is half an hour off from everywhere else, so do not forget that half hour when you work it out.

Take extra care with the Nunavut row. This time, we could not open the Government of Nunavut's website by any of three methods (the website refused access), so we could not read what it says itself. The Iqaluit row in the table is based on the time zone page of the National Research Council Canada (NRC): Nunavut spans three time zones, and all of them change their clocks at 2 a.m. local time. But that NRC page now has a notice at the top saying that, as of November 1, 2026, some content on the page is no longer accurate, and to check provincial and territorial government websites. The Government of Saskatchewan's comparison table, on the other hand, says Nunavut (based on Iqaluit) has the same time as Saskatchewan all year, which does not match what the NRC says. So if you are setting a time with someone in Nunavut, first ask them what time it is there now.

Why the old time differences from before November are not given. Before November 2026, B.C. used UTC−8 in winter; back then, in winter, Victoria was 3 hours apart from Toronto and 16 hours apart from Beijing. None of that is right any more. Old articles and old screenshots are still going around online; when you see claims such as "3 hours apart in winter" or "16 hours apart in winter", first check what year they were written.

4. Times differ within a province too: first check which town it is

When you book a flight, make a medical appointment or join an online meeting, first check which town the notice refers to. Within B.C., Golden and Victoria are 1 hour apart all year; within Newfoundland and Labrador, by the usual account, St. John's and most of Labrador are half an hour apart.

Northeastern B.C.: a different name, the same clock time. These towns have always used Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−7) all year. The provincial government says their clock time is now the same as the rest of B.C., but they do not have to call it PCT. The provincial government also notes one exception: Fort Ware (Kwadacha Nation) uses PCT, which is also the same clock time.

Southeastern B.C.: check the date of any news story. This area changed its mind twice this year, so old news is easy to misread:

• The provincial government's announcement in March 2026 said the southeast would keep switching between winter and summer time along with Alberta.
• Later, Alberta switched to UTC−6 all year. The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK; a regional district is a level of local government made up of several municipalities together with the rural areas around them), the Town of Golden and Area A of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District ran a survey together and received more than 14,000 responses: 89% wanted one time all year, and 66% chose Mountain Daylight Time.
• On August 14, 2026, the RDEK board voted to use Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) all year, the same as Alberta.
• The Town of Golden first voted on September 1 for Mountain Standard Time (the same as the rest of B.C.), then voted again on September 22 and changed to Mountain Daylight Time all year, the same as East Kootenay.
• On October 29, the Town of Golden issued a notice: residents of Golden and Area A (Area A of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District) should not change their clocks on November 1, and from then on use Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6) all year, the same as the rest of East Kootenay.
• The B.C. government's explanation of October 30 says this area uses "mountain daylight time (UTC-6) year round".

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District needs to be looked at separately. The B.C. government's list of October 30 names the whole "Columbia Shuswap Regional District"; but the Town of Golden's notice and the RDEK page both refer only to Area A. This regional district is large, and we did not find an official town-by-town statement on what time places such as Revelstoke and Salmon Arm use; before you go, check the local government's notices.

So now, when you drive from Victoria to Golden, Cranbrook or Fernie, you need to set your watch 1 hour ahead in both winter and summer. The Town of Golden also reminds residents that phones, computers, watches and car clocks may change by themselves, so check the settings; on devices, this time zone may be shown as "Mountain Daylight Time (UTC−6)" or "Mountain Time (Alberta, UTC−6)", and both are correct. The provincial government also says local governments can decide for themselves which time to use, and things may change again; before you go, check the local government's notices.

Lloydminster, Saskatchewan: one city in two provinces. Saskatchewan's new Time Act (The Time Act, 2026) took effect on October 30, 2026, and the whole province uses Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) all year. In the past, the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster followed Alberta and used UTC−7 in winter; now that Alberta is also on UTC−6 all year, both sides have the same clock time all year, and the clocks did not go back this November.

Northwestern Ontario: the line follows a meridian, not town names. Ontario's O. Reg. 333/26 was filed on October 20, 2026 and took effect on November 1, 2026: areas of Ontario west of 90° west longitude use a time 5 hours behind UTC all year. The regulation only gives the meridian and does not list any towns. Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances are all west of this line; for places near the line (for example, Thunder Bay, which is just east of it), go by what the local government says. This area now has the same clock time as Toronto in winter and is 1 hour behind Toronto in summer, and has the same time as Manitoba all year. The rest of Ontario still switches between winter and summer time as before.

Eastern Quebec: the law spells it out. Quebec's legal time act says that places east of 63° west longitude and the Listuguj reserve use Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4); the only places that switch to Atlantic Daylight Time (UTC−3) in summer are the Magdalen Islands and the Listuguj reserve. So the Lower North Shore area (for example, Blanc-Sablon) is on UTC−4 all year.

Labrador: we did not find official town-by-town rules. Newfoundland and Labrador's Standard Time Act says the whole province uses Newfoundland Standard Time (UTC−3:30) and Newfoundland Daylight Time (UTC−2:30) in summer, and also allows regulations to set a different time zone for some parts of the province. By the usual account, most of Labrador actually uses Atlantic time, and some places on the southeast coast use Newfoundland time; but this time we did not find town-by-town rules on the provincial government's web pages saying which town uses which time. If you are setting a time with someone in Labrador, first ask them what time it is there.

Nunavut: the website could not be read. A footnote from the National Research Council Canada (NRC) says that Nunavut spans three time zones, all of which change their clocks at 2 a.m. local time, and that Southampton Island uses Eastern Standard Time all year (Coral Harbour is on Southampton Island). But in the NRC's clock change table, the Nunavut row is now empty, just like the rows for B.C., Alberta and Yukon, which no longer change their clocks. We could not open the Government of Nunavut's website, so we have not checked which communities are in which time zone, or whether any community changed its rules this fall. The Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay rows in the table are based on the usual account and are marked "not checked"; treat them only as a guide.

5. Who changed the rules in 2026

So many places changed in one year that it helps to put them in date order, to check against when you read the news:

Quebec: whether the clocks will change in spring 2027 is not yet known. On October 28, 2026, Quebec's Minister of Justice, Marie-Claude Sarrazin, announced plans to make "the next clock change" Quebec's last, and said the government would introduce a bill. She also said it would first hear from experts and the public before deciding whether to use daylight saving time or standard time all year; the consultation will start in the coming months, once the National Assembly has resumed sitting. At 2 a.m. on November 1, Quebec set its clocks back to 1 a.m. as usual. So as of November 4, 2026, it has not been decided whether Quebec will move its clocks forward in March 2027. If you are setting a time with someone in Montréal for after March 2027, check again then.

Prince Edward Island: still asking for views; the rules have not changed. The Government of Prince Edward Island's survey page says "Opens November 1 • Closing date to be confirmed" and gives three choices: keep changing the clocks between winter and summer, use Atlantic Standard Time all year, or use Atlantic Daylight Time all year. For now, it is still AST in winter and ADT in summer.

Manitoba: called "standard time", but it is really daylight saving time. The Government of Manitoba says the new name is Manitoba Standard Time (MBT), 5 hours behind UTC, which is the daylight saving time used from March to November in the past; so Manitoba is now in effect on daylight saving time all year. Do not let the word "Standard" in the name make you think it is the winter time.

6. Places that still change their clocks: on which days, and at what time

Which places still change. As of November 4, 2026, the places in Canada that still change their clocks between winter and summer are mainly: Ontario (except the northwest corner), Quebec (except the Lower North Shore), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and most of Nunavut. Most of the U.S. still changes its clocks too.

When they change. The rule is the same everywhere:

• Every year on the second Sunday in March, at 2 a.m. local time, clocks jump forward to 3 a.m.
• Every year on the first Sunday in November, at 2 a.m. local time, clocks go back to 1 a.m.

The original texts of the laws of Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador all say this; in the table of the National Research Council Canada (NRC), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island follow the same rule. U.S. federal law uses the same rule too.

The 2027 and 2028 rows were worked out by counting on the calendar using the rule "second Sunday in March, first Sunday in November"; the dates were not copied from any web page. If Quebec or Prince Edward Island changes its law, this table no longer applies to them.

B.C. no longer changes. On these days, B.C.'s clocks do not move. What changes is the time difference between you and Eastern Canada and the U.S.: after March 14, 2027, you and Toronto go from 2 hours apart to 3 hours apart; after November 7, 2027, you go back to 2 hours apart.

7. How many hours apart Victoria is from Beijing and Shanghai

15 hours all year now. An article on the Chinese government's official website from April 2025 says China Standard Time is 8 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and is the same as Beijing time. The Beijing time people refer to in China is this UTC+8; places such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu also use Beijing time in daily life. Victoria is UTC−7. 8 minus −7 equals 15: Beijing is 15 hours ahead of Victoria. The definition of China Standard Time on the Chinese government's website does not divide the year into seasons, and B.C. no longer changes its clocks either, so the difference is 15 hours in both winter and summer.

It used to be 16 hours in winter, but not any more. Before November 2026, B.C. used UTC−8 in winter, so back then Victoria and Beijing were 16 hours apart in winter. If older family members in China still count "16 hours in winter", their calls will come an hour later than agreed; if you still count 16 hours yourself, your calls to China will come an hour early. Let your family know.

How to work it out. Victoria time plus 15 hours is Beijing time; the date often moves on to the next day. Beijing time minus 15 hours is Victoria time; the date often goes back to the day before.

Good times for video calls with family in China. Times when both sides are awake and it does not get in the way of work are usually these two:

• 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Victoria, which is 9 a.m. to 12 noon the next day in Beijing.
• 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. in Victoria, which is 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. the same day in Beijing.

An example. If you make a video call to your mother in Shanghai at 7 p.m. on November 3 (Tuesday) in Victoria, it is 10 a.m. on November 4 (Wednesday) in Shanghai.

Dates in China are a day ahead. Holidays, meetings, ticket sales and deadlines in China are all given as dates in Beijing time. For example, if something in China "starts at 0:00 on November 11", that is 9 a.m. on November 10 in Victoria time.

8. How many hours apart Victoria is from several large U.S. cities

The U.S. still changes its clocks. A page from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), updated in February 2026, says that most of the U.S. moves its clocks forward at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November; Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation within Arizona) do not use daylight saving time. The United States Code sets how many hours behind UTC each time zone is: Eastern 5 hours, Central 6 hours, Mountain 7 hours, Pacific 8 hours, Alaska 9 hours, Hawaii 10 hours.

"Winter" and "summer" mean the same as in section 3: winter is November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027, and summer is March 14 to November 7, 2027. "−1" means that place is 1 hour behind Victoria.

Seattle is the one people get wrong most often. Victoria and Seattle used to have the same clock time all year; now, in winter, Victoria is 1 hour ahead of Seattle, and they are the same only in summer.

Taking a ferry to Washington State. On a ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles or Seattle, the other side is 1 hour behind Victoria in winter and the same in summer. For the departure and arrival times on your ticket, check which side's time is shown and go by what the ferry company's website says, so you do not arrive an hour early or an hour late. On a cruise to Alaska, Alaska is 2 hours behind Victoria in winter and 1 hour behind in summer.

"PT" on U.S. websites. When U.S. online courses, online events and customer service hours say "PT", in winter that is UTC−8, 1 hour behind Victoria. For example, if a U.S. website says in winter that something "closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on November 30", in Victoria time that is 12:59 a.m. on December 1. In summer, the two are the same.

Related: for going to the U.S. with Canadian status (crossing the border, visas and what to bring), see Guide No. 14, Going to the U.S..

9. Calling federal government lines: converting Eastern Time to B.C. time

First, check which time the website gives. For federal government phone hours, some websites say "ET" (Eastern Time) and some say "local time". If it says local time, go by your own clock in B.C.; no conversion needed. If it says Eastern Time, you need to convert:

• Winter (November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027): Eastern Time minus 2 hours is B.C. time.
• Summer (March 14 to November 7, 2027): Eastern Time minus 3 hours is B.C. time.

The lines below were checked on the official websites on November 4, 2026:

None of these lines has agents on weekends or statutory holidays (except the automated services of the CRA, IRCC, and CPP and OAS; the CPP and OAS line also has a 24-hour automated service). The CRA's contact page says on the one hand that "CRA service hours are listed in ET", and on the other hand says in the hours column of its phone table that hours are "in local time unless noted"; so some CRA lines say ET and some do not, and you need to read each row.

Call early. In winter, the CRA starts answering at 6 a.m. B.C. time. IRCC's contact page advises that calling early in the morning can mean a shorter wait. The CRA's contact page says that if you cannot get through, try another time of day or call on another day.

If you are in China and need to call a Canadian government line. When you are visiting family in China, you use the numbers for calling from outside Canada, and you need to convert the hours to Beijing time. In winter, Beijing is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time, and 12 hours ahead in summer; it is 12 hours ahead of Atlantic Time in winter and 11 hours ahead in summer.

The CRA says it only accepts collect calls made through a telephone operator. If you are abroad and find that someone is misusing your CRA individual account, the identity theft line's number for calling from outside Canada is 1-613-221-3117 (collect). The website gives Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., without saying whose time; if it is Eastern Time, that is 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day in Beijing in winter, and 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day in summer.

Because the difference is a whole night, Canada's "Monday to Friday" is Monday evening to Saturday morning in Beijing. For example, at 8 p.m. on a Friday in Canada (Eastern, winter), it is already 9 a.m. on Saturday in Beijing.

What to do when a number says "local time" and you are in China. The "local time" for the SIN and CPP numbers inside Canada above means the local time where the caller is within Canada. If you call from abroad, go by the time zone given for the number for calling from outside Canada. IRCC's phone line can only be called from within Canada and has no number for calling from abroad; if you are abroad, contact IRCC using the web form on its website.

Related: for what each common federal government line handles and what to prepare before you call, see Guide No. 7, Phone directory.

10. Which time zone an online deadline is in, and how to convert it

When you submit applications and tax returns online, the worst thing is to think you still have time when the deadline has already passed. First, look at what is written after the deadline time:

Some notices write EST or PST all year round when they only mean "Eastern Time" or "Pacific Time". When you are not sure, first check whether the date falls in winter or summer, work it out using the "ET only" or "PT only" row, and then ask.

IRCC's online system uses UTC. If you hold a work permit, be sure to remember this. IRCC's page on extending a work permit says "Our online application system uses UTC"; other online applications, such as extending a study permit, do not say this on the page (not checked), but it is safer to work them out in UTC too.

• Extending your work permit from inside Canada: IRCC's page says you must submit your online application before midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the day your work permit expires; its online system uses UTC. Midnight UTC is 5 p.m. the same day in B.C. time. IRCC's wording only says "before midnight UTC on the day your work permit expires"; we read it as the midnight at the end of that day, which means before 5 p.m. B.C. time on the day your permit expires. If it meant the midnight at the start of that day, the deadline would be 5 p.m. B.C. time the day before. To be on time under either reading, submit by 5 p.m. B.C. time on the day before your permit expires. Do not leave it until the evening of the last day.
• International Experience Canada (IEC, working holiday): after you accept an invitation, you must submit your work permit application within exactly 20 days, and both the date and the time of the deadline are counted in UTC. IRCC's example: if you accept the invitation at 7:25 a.m. UTC, you must apply before 7:25 a.m. UTC 20 days later. 7:25 a.m. UTC is 12:25 a.m. that same day in B.C.—on the deadline day, it closes at 12:25 a.m. B.C. time, which means you really need to finish by the evening before. IRCC itself also advises not to wait until the last day.

The CRA's online filing hours use Eastern Time. The CRA's EFILE page says EFILE (the transmission service used by people who file returns for others) is open 21 hours a day, and is down for maintenance from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. Eastern Time every day; returns cannot be sent during those three hours. For NETFILE, which you use to file your own return, this year's page only gives the dates it is open, not the daily maintenance hours. EFILE in B.C. time:

• Winter: you cannot send from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.; the rest of the time (4 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day) you can.
• Summer: you cannot send from midnight to 3 a.m.; the rest of the time (3 a.m. to midnight) you can.

The CRA's own conversion table gives Pacific time as "3:00 a.m. to midnight", which is the summer figure; in winter, please work it out yourself as above. This season, EFILE is open until January 29, 2027 (Friday).

Conversion tables on official websites can be out of date too. The CRA table above is one example: B.C. and Alberta changed their rules this year, and some websites' tables that list times by time zone have not caught up. The safest way is to look only at the time zone the website originally uses (for example, ET), and convert it to B.C. time yourself using the rules above.

If a deadline does not say what time "the day" ends, ask. Some deadlines give only a date, with no time or time zone. For example, we did not find wording on the CRA's website this time saying by what time on the tax filing deadline day a return must be filed to be on time, or whose time counts. In cases like this, it is best to file a day or two early; if you really have to file on the deadline day, call and ask first.

Related: you need EFILE before you file returns for others; for how to convert its transmission hours to B.C. time, see Guide No. 26, Filing taxes for others: CRA EFILE.

11. Crossing time zones by car, plane or ferry

Driving east. If you take the ferry from Victoria to the mainland and then drive east:

• To towns in southeastern B.C. such as Golden, Cranbrook, Fernie and Invermere, set your watch 1 hour ahead all year; you do not have to wait until you enter Alberta.
• To towns in northeastern B.C. such as Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson, you do not need to change it at any time of year.
• In Alberta and Saskatchewan, it is 1 hour ahead all year; in Manitoba, 2 hours ahead all year.

Flying. Flying from Victoria:

• Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon: 1 hour ahead all year.
• Winnipeg: 2 hours ahead all year.
• Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal: 2 hours ahead in winter, 3 hours ahead in summer.
• Halifax: 3 hours ahead in winter, 4 hours ahead in summer.
• Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles: 1 hour behind in winter, the same in summer.

Check which city's time is shown on your confirmation. For plane tickets, ferry tickets, hotel check-in and car rental pick-up, check whether each time on the confirmation is the time at the place of departure, at the destination or somewhere else. The Government of Manitoba gives its residents the same advice: when travelling across time zones, confirm the local time at your destination, and do not just assume "the usual time difference".

Crossing the U.S. border. If you take a ferry from Victoria to Washington State, or drive across the border from Vancouver to Bellingham or Seattle, the U.S. side is 1 hour behind in winter and the same in summer (section 8).

Your phone will change by itself in another province. If your phone has "set time zone automatically" turned on, it will usually switch to local time when you reach another province or the U.S. After it switches, reminders already in your calendar will be shown in local time; do not panic when you see this (next section).

12. Phones, computers, calendars and alarm clocks: will they adjust by themselves?

Phones and computers mostly get it right by themselves. The B.C. government says most people do not need to do anything: on March 8, many clocks moved forward by themselves, and on November 1 nothing needed to be set back. What you need to watch out for are devices that have not been updated, which may still follow the old rules and set themselves back an hour in November. The Government of Manitoba explains this in more detail: today's phones and computers rely on a worldwide time zone database (the IANA Time Zone Database) to know what time each place should use, and once the system is updated they know the new rules. The governments of Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories give much the same advice:

• Update your phone's and computer's operating system and software to the latest version;
• Turn on "set date and time automatically" and "set time zone automatically";
• Very old devices that no longer receive updates may need to be set by hand.

How to check that your phone has it right. In B.C., the Victoria and Vancouver time on your phone should now be UTC−7 all year (some phones show it as GMT−7). If, in winter, your phone still shows Vancouver time as UTC−8 (GMT−8), or an hour behind the real time, it has not been updated: first update the system, then check whether "set time zone automatically" is turned on. If it is still wrong, contact the phone seller, your phone company or the device maker. On your phone, this time may be named with a different abbreviation (for example MST, PDT or PCT); the Town of Golden has also warned that devices may show two different names. We did not find any official statement on exactly what devices in B.C. will show. The name does not matter; just check that it says UTC−7 and the time is right.

Take an extra look at the calendar on your computer. The Government of Manitoba warns that events created before the system received the new time zone information, or events imported from other calendar software, may show an hour early or an hour late; pay special attention to recurring meetings, meeting invitations from people in other provinces or countries, and invitations sent back and forth between Outlook and Google Calendar. In B.C., please check your events after November 1, 2026 this way.

When creating a new meeting, choose a city name as the time zone. When you create a meeting across provinces or countries in your calendar, choose a city name such as "Vancouver" or "Toronto" as the time zone; do not type in a number or abbreviation such as "UTC−8" or "PST" yourself. The Government of Manitoba also recommends this: use the local time zone name when setting a time, and double-check the local time it works out to.

Clocks that are not connected to the Internet do not need to be touched this time. In B.C., microwaves, ovens, wall clocks and old-style alarm clocks never need to be changed again, all year round. The Government of the Northwest Territories also specifically advises leaving devices that are not connected to the Internet alone. If you set them back an hour on November 1 out of habit, set them forward again now.

Be careful with "radio-controlled" clocks. Some wall clocks and alarm clocks set themselves by receiving a radio signal (the package often says Atomic or Radio Controlled). The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) says these clocks switch to daylight saving time by themselves following U.S. rules; if you live in a place that does not change its clocks (such as Arizona), you need to turn off the clock's automatic daylight saving time setting. B.C. no longer changes its clocks either, so these clocks may jump an hour by themselves in November and March. Based on this explanation, our own suggestion (not NIST's instructions) is: if the clock lets you turn off automatic daylight saving time (DST), turn it off; if you have to choose a time zone, choose one that is 7 hours behind UTC (for example "Mountain", with daylight saving time turned off), and the clock will show the same time as B.C. Settings differ by brand; follow the manual.

Take a look at the clock in your car too. Some car clocks and navigation systems have automatic daylight saving time and may still jump an hour by themselves in November and March under the old rules. If it jumps to the wrong time, set it back by hand; if you can turn off automatic daylight saving time, turn it off.

Alarms. Your phone's alarm follows your phone's time. If your phone's time is right, the alarm is right.

Related: for everything to do in your first three months after arriving in Canada, in one list, see Guide No. 2, First 90 days.

13. What to watch for on the days Eastern Canada and the U.S. change their clocks

B.C. no longer changes its clocks, but Eastern Canada and the U.S. still do. The next changes are forward on March 14, 2027 (Sunday) and back on November 7, 2027 (Sunday). Around these two days, watch for the following:

Regular appointments with people in Eastern Canada and the U.S. will move by an hour. For example, if you have a video call with family in Toronto every Monday at "10 a.m. Toronto time":

• in winter, it is 8 a.m. in Victoria;
• after March 14, 2027, it becomes 7 a.m. in Victoria;
• after November 7, 2027, it goes back to 8 a.m.

If the arrangement is "8 a.m. Victoria time", then it is the time on the Toronto side that changes. When you set up the appointment, make clear whose time it is.

The time difference with Beijing does not change. Neither Beijing nor B.C. changes its clocks, so they are 15 hours apart all year. On the day Eastern Canada changes its clocks, you do not need to change your appointments with family in China.

Taking medicine at set times. B.C. does not change its clocks, so you do not need to change the times you take medicine because of a clock change. If you happen to be in Eastern Canada or the U.S. on those days, or will be flying across time zones, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you leave how to adjust medicine you take at set times (such as insulin). You can also call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1: 8-1-1 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, usually first by a health service navigator, and nurses are also available 24 hours a day; HealthLink BC pharmacists answer calls every day from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day and can answer questions such as what to do if you missed a dose or took an extra dose; the person who answers can arrange interpretation in more than 130 languages.

In places that still change their clocks, one hour that night is unusual. NIST explains that on the spring day, the clock jumps straight from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., so that day is an hour short; on the fall day, the clock goes back from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m., so the hour from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. happens twice. If you are staying overnight in such a place, do not set an alarm between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.; if you are on an overnight flight or working a night shift, keep this hour in mind.

The Government of Manitoba's advice is useful elsewhere too. It reminds residents to check the departure and arrival times of their travel and the times of their medical appointments around the clock change.

14. Setting times and reading notices: how to write times so they are least likely to go wrong

When you write a notice or send an invitation yourself. Write the date and the city, then add how many hours it is behind UTC; that is clearest. For example:

• "10 a.m. on November 10, 2026, Vancouver time (PCT, UTC−7)": people in Toronto can see at a glance that it is 12 noon for them.
• When writing to people in the U.S.: "10 a.m. Vancouver time (UTC−7)", not just "10 a.m. PT", because in winter Americans take PT to mean UTC−8.

When you receive someone else's notice. First find three things: the date, the time and the time zone. If the time zone is only an abbreviation (PT, ET, CT), also check whether the date falls in winter or summer, and whether a Canadian or a U.S. organization wrote it. If you are not sure, reply and ask.

You could say:

• "Is that 10 a.m. Vancouver time or Toronto time?"
• "Which time zone is the deadline in?"
• "B.C. no longer changes the clocks. We are on UTC−7 all year."
• "Could you put the time in UTC, please?"
• "So that's 9 a.m. in Seattle, right?" (to ask in winter, when it is 10 a.m. in Victoria)

A rule of thumb. Victoria is UTC−7 all year. To find how many hours apart you are from someone, take the number after UTC for their place and subtract −7. If they still change their clocks, first check whether that day is in winter or summer.

Related guides

• → No. 14 · Going to the U.S.
  Going to the U.S. once you have Canadian status: which passport to travel with and whether you need a visa, why a visa valid for 10 years does not mean a 10-year stay, checking your entry registration if you stay 30 days or longer, getting the right status before you work, keeping count of your U.S. days as a snowbird, applying for NEXUS, and declaring everything truthfully when you return to Canada.
• → No. 7 · Phone directory
  How to find Government of Canada phone lines, what to prepare before you call and what to do if you cannot get through; which numbers to call about taxes and benefits, immigration status and passports, and dental care and disability benefits, with many entries giving the hours converted from Eastern Time to B.C. time.
• → No. 26 · Filing taxes for others: CRA EFILE
  Getting CRA EFILE before you file taxes for others: who needs it, how to apply, and how to send your first client return once approved; the daily hours when returns cannot be sent, and what they are in B.C. time, are in section 6.
• → No. 2 · First 90 days
  What to do in your first three months in Canada, in order: in the first week, your SIN, MSP health coverage, a bank account and a phone number; in the first month, your driver's licence and your child's school registration; and within three months, benefits and online accounts.

Main official links in this guide

These are all the official web pages used in this guide, sorted into four groups by organization; the end of each section also lists the ones for that section. The Government of B.C.'s new time zone page and three news releases, the B.C. Laws website, the Regional District of East Kootenay, the Town of Golden, HealthLink BC, the government and law websites of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, the pages of the National Research Council Canada (NRC), the CRA, IRCC and Service Canada, the article on the Chinese government's website, the pages of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the United States Code and federal regulations on the Cornell Law School website were all opened and read on November 4, 2026. The text of the two Ontario laws could not be read on their web pages, so we read the text of the same laws provided by Ontario's e-Laws website; the Government of Yukon's current time page could not be read, so we used its archived news release from 2020. These points were not checked this time, and the guide says so: the Government of Nunavut's website could not be opened; we did not find time pages published by the governments of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia themselves (their clock change times follow the NRC's table); which town in Labrador uses which time; what time places in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District other than Area A use; and by what time, and in whose time, a return must be filed on the CRA's filing deadline day.

Government of B.C. and B.C. local governments

Other provinces and territories

Government of Canada

China and the U.S.