What to know
- Most of Ontario will turn clocks back on Nov. 1, while parts of northwestern Ontario west of Thunder Bay will remain on central standard time.
- Manitoba and B.C. will no longer turn clocks back, staying on daylight saving time permanently.
- Saskatchewan will remain on central standard time year-round, although some border communities can choose to follow a neighbouring jurisdiction’s time.
- Alberta and the Northwest Territories will turn clocks back on Nov. 1, then remain on standard time permanently.
Daylight Saving Time is set to end once again next month, but not everywhere. Four provinces and two territories have opted to stay on daylight time permanently, creating a time zone shuffle that could leave many Canadians confused.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, clocks will still move back in Ontario and several other parts of the country, but some parts of Canada have recently moved away from the twice-yearly time change, shifting and breaking up many of the time zones across the country.
That means the time difference between provinces will change, even though some of the clocks won’t move in those areas.
B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories are no longer turning the clocks back, nor are they springing forward.
Instead, the provinces and territories are each opting to either keep daylight saving time permanently or fall back to standard time indefinitely.
Many Canadians have been reacting online ahead of the time changes, with some evidently bewildered by the new time coverage areas.
“I kinda feel like the provinces shouldn’t have been allowed the ability to change their individual time zones,” one X user wrote. “It’s just messy.”
“How does this make any logical sense?” another stated.
“Everyone just needs to be on permanent standard time for their region,” a different X user said.
The inconsistent decisions by each provincial government have led to time zones that used to coincide with the United States, but will now see varying, and initially complex, coverage.
A section of Ontario isolated during the winter
Due to Manitoba’s choice to remain on Daylight Saving Time, the province will be on the same time as eastern standard time during the winter instead of central standard time.
Previously, Manitoba and parts of northwestern Ontario were one hour behind most of Ontario during the winter. With Manitoba’s latest decision, the time difference will change.
Most of Ontario, including areas east of Thunder Bay, will remain on eastern standard time, while parts of northwestern Ontario west of Thunder Bay will remain on central standard time.
That means travellers crossing between Manitoba and most of Ontario will no longer gain or lose an hour during the winter. Manitoba and eastern standard time will be on the same clock time, while northwestern Ontario, in between the two, will remain one hour behind.
B.C. and Manitoba are no longer turning the clocks back
March 2026 marked British Columbia’s final seasonal clock change, with the province opting to remain on daylight saving time permanently.
Manitoba is following suit, with the province also deciding to stay on daylight saving time.
This would mean B.C. will now be two hours ahead of Toronto and most of Ontario, except during the eastern province’s time switch every spring, which will add an extra hour between the two.
For Manitoba, Toronto and most of Ontario will share the same time in the winter, but Manitoba will be one hour earlier come daylight saving time.
Saskatchewan was the trendsetter
Saskatchewan has avoided Canada’s seasonal clock changes, with most of the province staying on central standard time year-round.
But the province’s time system also changed in 2026.
Under Saskatchewan’s new Time Act, the province still has the single, year-round time of central standard time, although border communities can choose to follow a neighbouring jurisdiction’s time if they would like to.
After Ontario turns its clocks back on Nov. 1, the province will be one hour ahead of Saskatchewan.
Alberta and the Northwest Territories are also changing the map
Alberta and the Northwest Territories have opted to make the change on Nov. 1 but will no longer shift between daylight and standard time after that.
Both the province and the territory decided to return to permanent standard time and stay there in the future.
What does this mean for Ontario residents?
For Ontarians, the biggest difference may be when comparing the local time with other parts of Canada.
The federal government states that daylight saving time is generally determined by provincial and territorial legislation, which is why Canada’s rules aren’t uniform from coast to coast.
Ultimately, Canada’s time-zone map is becoming more different over time, compared to the initial map people have been accustomed to for decades.
