Time in Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦
The current local time in Ontario, Canada is anchored on Toronto. The province uses the America/Toronto time zone (UTC -04:00).
Ontario local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 EDT
Province information
Ontario
Province of Canada
Population: 14,734,014
Time zone
IANA: America/Toronto
UTC offset: -04:00
Daylight saving: Yes — forward 8 March, back 1 November
Country: Canada
How time works in Ontario
Most of Ontario uses Eastern Time.
The northwest of the province, including Kenora and the Rainy River district, uses Central Time. Atikokan stays on Eastern Standard Time all year.
Time difference across Canada
How the clock in Ontario 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | America/Vancouver | −3 h | −3 h |
| Alberta | America/Edmonton | −2 h | −2 h |
| Manitoba | America/Winnipeg | −1 h | −1 h |
| Québec | America/Toronto | Same time | Same time |
| Nova Scotia | America/Halifax | +1 h | +1 h |
Public holidays in Ontario in 2026
13 public holidays apply in Ontario, 2 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 6 Apr | Easter Monday | Regional |
| 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 |
Ontario vs. major cities
How far Ontario is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Ontario, 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 Ontario | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −3 h | 06:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Paris · France | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +8 h | 17:00 | None |
| Delhi · India | +9:30 h | 18:30 | None |
| Singapore · Singapore | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
| Beijing · China | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
Shared office hours are shown in Ontario 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 Ontario
Ontario has alternated between UTC -05:00 in standard time and UTC -04:00 in daylight saving time since at least 1970. Clocks currently go forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, a rule in place since 2007.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 8 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -04:00 |
| Sunday, 1 November 2026 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
| Sunday, 14 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -04:00 |
| Sunday, 7 November 2027 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
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.
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Other cities in the same time zone
Ontario time questions
- What time zone is Ontario in?
- Most of Ontario uses the America/Toronto time zone: UTC -05:00, -04:00 during DST. Some areas differ — see the notes on this page.
- Does Ontario observe daylight saving time?
- Yes. In 2026 clocks go forward on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 02:00 and go back on Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 02:00.
- How many public holidays does Ontario have in 2026?
- 13 public holidays apply in Ontario in 2026, including 2 that are not on the national list: Family Day (Monday 16 February), Easter Monday (Monday 6 April).
Explore Ontario
More on Ontario: the country overview, the exact IANA zone, and tools for Toronto.