Time in Canada - Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time

Four Canadian cities, by local ordinance, used Daylight Saving Time in 1916. Brandon, Manitoba on April 17 became the first place in the world to use it. It was followed by Winnipeg on April 23, Halifax on April 30, and Hamilton, Ontario on June 4.

Daylight saving time is now observed in most regions of all provinces and territories, except Saskatchewan (although technically, since Saskatchewan is in the Mountain Time Zone and observes CST time it is effectively on DST year round). Under the Canadian Constitution, laws related to timekeeping are a purely provincial matter. In practice, since the late 1960s DST across Canada has been closely or completely synchronized with its observance in the United States to promote consistent economic and social interaction. When the United States extended DST in 1987 to the first Sunday in April, all DST-observing Canadian provinces followed suit to mimic the change.

The latest United States change (Energy Policy Act of 2005), adding parts of March and November starting in 2007, was adopted by the various provinces and territories on the following dates:

• Ontario, Manitoba – October 20, 2005
• Quebec – December 5, 2005
• Prince Edward Island – December 6, 2005
• New Brunswick – December 23, 2005
• Alberta – February 2, 2006
• Northwest Territories – March 4, 2006
• British Columbia – March 31, 2006
• Nova Scotia – April 25, 2006
• Yukon – July 14, 2006
• Newfoundland and Labrador – November 20, 2006, but officially announced on January 18, 2007
• Nunavut – February 19, 2007
• Saskatchewan – no official action taken, as most of the province does not change their clocks back in winter, but the small parts that have historically observed DST near Alberta and Manitoba are presumed to be authorized to have the start and end dates the same as Alberta and Manitoba.