This is your reminder that on March 8, 2026, the clocks have to move forward one hour!
And yes, I can hear you groaning.
But here’s the thing: This is the last time you will have to move your clocks again.
Announced on March 2, the British Columbia government finally put into action the legislation that was passed years ago to make daylight savings time permanent. Originally, the province was waiting until things could be lined up with states like California and Oregan, but with relationships souring between the US and Canada, there seemed little reason to wait on states which seemed to have little intention (or at least more important things to worry about) to make the shift. Therefore, it was announced that the province would finally be permanently adopting daylight time.
This new time will be called “Pacific Time”. And the reasons for it largely center on health and wellness concerns. Studies have shown that around daylight savings time changes, rates of traffic accidents, heart attacks, and other problems spike. Our bodies just aren’t really built to shift times twice a year! Pet owners also have to deal with confused animals wanting care at different hours of the day which is annoying for the owner and stressful for the animals.
This time change brings BC in line with the Yukon, as well as places like Dawson Creek which observes Mountain Standard time year-round. On the other hand, places in the East Kootenays like Cranbrook will still switch between mountain standard and mountain daylight time, meaning it will align with the rest of the province in the winter and be an hour ahead in the summer.
Some critics point out that this means that it will be darker longer in the mornings in the winter which could be more dangerous for children going to school and morning commutes. On the other hand, this will likely end the extremely short days that much of the province sees in the winter which may even help people who suffer with seasonal affective disorder.
In any event, this daylight savings time marks the end of moving that clock backwards and forwards and will hopefully improve the quality of life overall for much of British Columbia.
So don’t forget to change the clock, but be glad it’s for the final time.
