On March 8, 2026, British Columbia, like Washington State, sprang into Daylight Saving Time (DST), but unlike Washington State, BC has made this change permanent. BC will no longer do the back-and-forth seasonal time changes.

In the summer of 2019, the Province of British Columbia conducted a public engagement regarding time observance; 93% of the public supported adopting year-round DST, and 90% of industry groups and occupations surveyed also supported permanent DST. The Interpretation Amendment Act, passed in 2019, became the legal framework that enabled BC Province to adopt permanent DST. The move was not made at that time, however, in order to co-ordinate timing with neighboring U.S. states.

While Washington State has not made DST permanent, BC has gone ahead to make DST permanent, starting with 2026. The majority of people in BC say that by eliminating the twice-yearly time changes, less disruptions occur for families, businesses, schools, transportation, and for those who work shifts. Sleep patterns of people experience fewer disruptions and there is more usable light in the evenings, allowing for outdoor activities. It should be noted that a small number of communities in eastern parts of British Columbia observe Mountain Time instead of Pacific Time.

Washington State also passed legislation (RCW 1.20.070) aiming to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, however, this change cannot take effect without approval from the U.S. Congress, which has not yet occurred.

Come November 1st, Washington State and other States will move back an hour but BC will not. Those visiting BC after Nov. 1 will need to move their clocks forward by one hour when crossing the border.

For Users of the 2026 Waggoner Ports and Passes, times will need to be adjusted for BC Stations. Tidal and Current Reference Stations in both Vol. I and Vol. II have been adjusted for Daylight Saving Time for March 8 through October 31st. For the months of Nov. and Dec. 2026, all Reference Station times are in Standard Time, so with BC’s latest announcement to remain on DST throughout 2026, users of Ports and Passes Vol. I and Vol. II must add one hour to the Nov./ Dec. prediction times for all BC Reference Stations (only BC Reference Stations).

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