Time in British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦
The current local time in British Columbia, Canada is anchored on Vancouver. The province uses the America/Vancouver time zone (UTC -07:00).
British Columbia local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 PDT
Province information
British Columbia
Province of Canada
Population: 5,147,712
Time zone
IANA: America/Vancouver
UTC offset: -07:00
Daylight saving: Yes — forward 8 March
Country: Canada
How time works in British Columbia
Most of British Columbia uses Pacific Time.
The northeast (the Peace River region, including Dawson Creek and Fort St. John) stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, as does Creston; much of the East Kootenay region, including Cranbrook, uses Mountain Time with daylight saving.
Time difference across Canada
How the clock in British Columbia compares with other Canada regions on this site. Where the January and July figures differ, only one side observes daylight saving time.
| Region | Time zone | January | July |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | America/Edmonton | +1 h | +1 h |
| Manitoba | America/Winnipeg | +2 h | +2 h |
| Ontario | America/Toronto | +3 h | +3 h |
| Québec | America/Toronto | +3 h | +3 h |
| Nova Scotia | America/Halifax | +4 h | +4 h |
Public holidays in British Columbia in 2026
12 public holidays apply in British Columbia, 1 of them regional (marked below) and not observed across all of Canada.
| Date | Holiday | |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day | |
| Mon 16 Feb | Family Day | Regional |
| Fri 3 Apr | Good Friday | |
| Sun 5 Apr | Easter Sunday | |
| Mon 18 May | Victoria Day | |
| Wed 1 Jul | Canada Day | |
| Mon 3 Aug | Civic Holiday | |
| Mon 7 Sept | Labour Day | |
| Mon 12 Oct | Thanksgiving | |
| Wed 11 Nov | Remembrance Day | |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | |
| Sat 26 Dec | Boxing Day |
British Columbia vs. major cities
How far British Columbia is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in British Columbia, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in British Columbia | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | +3 h | 12:00 | 09:00–14:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | +4 h | 13:00 | 09:00–13:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | +8 h | 17:00 | None |
| Paris · France | +9 h | 18:00 | None |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +9 h | 18:00 | None |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +11 h | 20:00 | None |
| Delhi · India | +12:30 h | 21:30 | None |
| Singapore · Singapore | +15 h | 00:00 (next day) | None |
| Beijing · China | +15 h | 00:00 (next day) | None |
Shared office hours are shown in British Columbia time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Clock changes in British Columbia
Since 1970, British Columbia has gone through 2 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 56 of 57 years. Since 2026 it has stayed on UTC -07:00 all year.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 8 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -07:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Time zone history since 1970 (2 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–2025 | UTC -08:00, DST UTC -07:00 | Forward on the second Sunday in March, back on the first Sunday in November (since 2007) |
| 2026 | UTC -07:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
British Columbia time questions
- What time zone is British Columbia in?
- Most of British Columbia uses the America/Vancouver time zone: UTC -08:00, -07:00 during DST. Some areas differ — see the notes on this page.
- Does British Columbia observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. In 2026 clocks go forward on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 02:00.
- How many public holidays does British Columbia have in 2026?
- 12 public holidays apply in British Columbia in 2026, including 1 that are not on the national list: Family Day (Monday 16 February).
Explore British Columbia
More on British Columbia: the country overview, the exact IANA zone, and tools for Vancouver.