Clocks Go Back Nov 1: Which Canadian Provinces Still Change Time

Daylight saving time ends in Canada on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in the regions that still observe it, clocks move back one hour at 2:00 a.m., from 2:00 to 1:00 local time, and that hour repeats. But 2026 is the year the Canadian clock map changes shape: four provinces and territories (British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories) have now joined Saskatchewan and Yukon in abandoning the twice-yearly switch. This guide lists exactly who changes and who doesn't.

Key takeaways

• Clocks fall back one hour on November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m. local time in the parts of Canada that still observe daylight saving time.
• British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories have moved to permanent daylight time and will not change their clocks this fall.
• Saskatchewan (year-round Central Standard Time, UTC−6) and Yukon (since 2020) never changed in the first place.
• Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and most of Nunavut still fall back on November 1, Ontario's permanent-DST law was passed in 2020 but has never come into force.
• If you travel or work across provinces on November 1–2, expect one-hour mismatches between regions that used to share the same time.

Who still changes their clocks on November 1, 2026

In these provinces and territories, set clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1:

• Ontario, most of the province. (Some northwestern communities, e.g. Atikokan and Pickle Lake, already stay on Central Standard Time year-round.)
• Quebec, most of the province, except the area east of 63° west longitude (including Blanc-Sablon), which stays on Atlantic Standard Time year-round.
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador, clocks change at 12:01 a.m. local time rather than 2:00 a.m., the longstanding Newfoundland practice. Parts of southeastern Labrador follow Atlantic time year-round.
• Most of Nunavut, except Southampton Island (including Coral Harbour), which stays on Eastern Standard Time year-round.

For these regions, daylight saving time in 2026 ran from March 8 to November 1, 34 weeks, about 65 percent of the year.

Ontario's confusing case

Ontario is the province that generates the most questions. The Legislative Assembly passed Bill 214, the Time Amendment Act, 2020, which would move Ontario to permanent daylight saving time. It received Royal Assent on November 30, 2020, but it has never been proclaimed into force. The government has said it will only proclaim the act if Quebec and New York State adopt permanent daylight time as well, given how tightly linked the three jurisdictions are by trade, transport, broadcasting, and financial markets. Neither has done so. Ontario residents therefore change their clocks on November 1, 2026, exactly as before.

Who no longer changes their clocks

British Columbia, permanent daylight time

On March 2, 2026, British Columbia announced that its March 8, 2026 spring-forward was its final seasonal change. Most of the province now observes UTC−7 year-round, effectively staying on daylight time. (The Peace River region and Creston already stayed on Mountain Standard Time year-round and are unaffected.)

Alberta, permanent Alberta Time

On June 18, 2026, Alberta brought its new Official Time Act into force. The province now observes UTC−6 year-round and will not set clocks back on November 1, 2026. This makes Saskatchewan's year-round Central Standard Time and Alberta's time zone aligned: in Lloydminster, which straddles the border, the two sides stay in sync.

Manitoba, permanent daylight time

Manitoba announced it is ending seasonal clock changes and will remain on permanent daylight time (UTC−5 year-round), not falling back on November 1, 2026. The province cited a public survey in which roughly 92 percent of nearly 72,000 respondents wanted the seasonal time change to end.

Northwest Territories, permanent daylight time

In late September 2026, the Northwest Territories announced it would no longer observe seasonal time changes, following a survey in which more than 87 percent of over 3,500 respondents supported ending the switch. The territory remains on Northwest Territories Time (UTC−6) year-round.

Saskatchewan, never changed

Saskatchewan observes Central Standard Time (UTC−6) all year, as it has since 1966. The exception is Lloydminster, which follows Alberta. Because Alberta has now locked onto UTC−6 as well, the province's two border communities stay aligned.

Yukon, permanent since 2020

Yukon moved to year-round Yukon Standard Time (UTC−7) in 2020 and has not changed its clocks since.

The new Canadian time map, at a glance

Why provinces are making the switch

Public surveys have consistently shown strong support for ending the time change. British Columbia's 2019 consultation drew 223,273 responses, with 93 percent supporting permanent year-round daylight time. Manitoba's survey drew nearly 72,000 respondents, with 92 percent wanting the change to end. Governments have pointed to reduced disruption for families, simpler scheduling, and the extra hour of evening light in winter.

The health debate has played a role too. Sleep specialists note that both transitions, spring and fall, disrupt circadian rhythms, with the spring change being the harder one on sleep. The fall-back is gentler: you gain an hour. But it also shifts sunset an hour earlier in the evening, which is the trade many western provinces decided they no longer want to make.

What this means for you on November 1

• Check connected devices, but don't assume. Most phones and computers update automatically, but only where the operating system's time-zone data matches the new rules. If your device shows the wrong time after November 1, update its software.
• Change analog clocks, ovens, and car dashboards manually. The usual suspects still need a hand.
• Watch cross-province scheduling. Meetings between Toronto and Calgary used to sit two hours apart in winter and one hour apart in summer. After November 1, 2026, Toronto (back on Eastern Standard) and Calgary (locked on UTC−6) will differ by one hour all winter, the same gap as the old summer arrangement, but now permanent. Confirm times with anyone in a province that changed policy this year.
• Travel across time-policy borders. If you drive from Saskatchewan into Manitoba around November 1, nothing changes, both sit on UTC−6/UTC−5 respectively year-round now. If you drive from Ontario to Manitoba, the gap has changed: verify before you book anything timed.

For tips on coping with the earlier darkness itself, see our guide to sleep, mood, and energy after the clocks change.

The bottom line

The era of a single national clock change is over. On November 1, 2026, eastern and central Canada fall back as always, Ontario's permanent-DST law remains unproclaimed, while B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and Yukon sit the change out. Know which side of the line you're on before November arrives.

Sources

• The Canadian Wire, Daylight Saving Time Ends November 1, 2026: Which Provinces Still Change Clocks
• Wikipedia, Daylight saving time in Canada
• timeanddate.com, USA and Canada End DST 2026
• timeanddate.com, Manitoba Ends Clock Changes and Stays on DST
• National Research Council Canada, Time zones and daylight saving time
• Nexstar, Daylight saving time becomes permanent in more of Canada (Sep 29, 2026)
• HR Reporter, Another province abandons daylight savings time