British Columbians already knew the clocks would not be falling back this November. Now, the province has revealed what BC’s permanent time zone will be called.
The provincial government announced Thursday that most of BC will begin using Pacific Time, abbreviated as PCT, as its single year-round time zone.
That means the familiar seasonal abbreviations Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) and Pacific Standard Time (PST) will no longer be used in most of the province.
The new abbreviation is being introduced ahead of November 1st, when British Columbians would traditionally turn their clocks back by one hour.
This year, the clocks will stay exactly where they are.
“Improved overall health, reduced disruptions for families, simplified scheduling and an extra hour of evening light during the winter months are clear benefits of a year-round time zone,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Citizens’ Services.
“In March, Premier Eby announced BC’s last ‘spring forward’ time change to Pacific Time and the three-letter abbreviation PCT aligns with how other provinces abbreviate their time zones.”
Related: Here’s what Victorians can expect when BC skips the fall time change
What exactly is PCT?
PCT stands for Pacific Time and will be used year-round in BC, eliminating the need to switch between PST and PDT every six months.
The province will remain on its current time of UTC-7, which was previously referred to as Pacific Daylight Time.
For most people, the biggest change is simple, when November 1st arrives, do not turn your clocks back.
Smartphones, computers and other connected devices should update automatically as time-zone databases are adjusted. However, businesses and organizations may need to update scheduling systems, websites, booking platforms and other materials that still reference PST or PDT.
The province says announcing PCT before the anticipated November time change will provide clarity for businesses, organizations and anyone referencing BC’s time zone in public communications.
The move will also create a noticeable difference for people travelling, working or doing business across the border.
Washington state is still required to follow the United States’ federally mandated daylight saving time schedule. Unless that changes, Washington will turn its clocks back on November 1st while BC keeps its clocks unchanged.
That means Victoria and Vancouver will be one hour ahead of Seattle and most of Washington state during the winter months.
BC will also be one hour ahead of Oregon and California during that period.
The clocks will align again when those states return to daylight saving time in March.
The time difference could be particularly important when scheduling flights, ferry travel, meetings, sporting events or appointments with businesses in the United States.
Why BC stopped changing the clocks
BC made its final seasonal clock change on March 8th, when the province moved ahead by one hour for the last time.
The decision followed years of debate and a major public consultation held in 2019.
More than 223,000 people participated in that consultation, with 93% supporting a move to year-round daylight time.
The province says eliminating the twice-a-year change will provide more consistency, reduce disruptions to sleep and daily routines and provide an additional hour of usable evening light during the winter.
Officials also expect the change to reduce the amount of system reprogramming and scheduling adjustments required by businesses and transportation providers every spring and fall.
Several communities in parts of northern and southeastern BC already follow different time practices, including areas that observe Mountain Time or do not make seasonal clock changes.
So as of November 1st, the province will fall under PCT, and there will be no falling back.
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