British Columbia adopts permanent daylight saving amid U.S. debate

Residents across the Canadian province will set their clocks forward in March for what authorities say will be the final time change. When Nov. 1 arrives, clocks will no longer be turned back as they have been twice a year.

The provincial government said the decision is intended to simplify daily schedules, reduce disruptions for families, and provide more evening daylight during the winter months.

Public backing for the change has been strong. A provincial survey conducted in 2019 showed that 93% of respondents supported adopting daylight saving time permanently.

Officials also noted that the timing of the decision reflects evolving considerations in cross-border coordination. In previous years, British Columbia synchronized its time changes with U.S. states along the Pacific Coast. The government said recent actions in the United States have influenced how the province approaches policies that traditionally required alignment across the border.

After the March time change, residents and businesses will have about eight months to prepare for the new system before Nov. 1, when clocks would normally be set back one hour.

The province will continue to use the name Pacific Time. During the winter months, British Columbia’s time will correspond with neighboring Alberta and other areas observing Mountain Standard Time. For the rest of the year, it will align with regions such as California, Washington, and Oregon.

The debate over ending seasonal clock changes has also continued in the United States. Surveys indicate growing public support for eliminating the practice, though opinions remain divided over whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time would be preferable.

Under current U.S. law, states cannot adopt permanent daylight saving time unless Congress authorizes it. Some states have passed legislation that would take effect if federal approval is granted.

Hawaii and most of Arizona already keep the same time year-round by observing permanent standard time.

Efforts to introduce permanent daylight saving time nationwide have not yet advanced. The Sunshine Protection Act passed the U.S. Senate in 2022 but stalled in the House of Representatives, and a similar proposal introduced in 2025 remains under consideration. Another bill introduced in 2026 proposes shifting U.S. time zones forward by 30 minutes and keeping them there permanently.

President Donald Trump has previously said the issue remains divided among Americans, noting that some prefer more evening daylight while others favor earlier morning light.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan switched to a single time zone starting March 1, 2024, adopting UTC+05:00 across the country.