B.C. Town Refuses to Join Province’s New Time Zone, Will Keep Mountain Daylight Time
Tumbler Ridge says it will stay on Mountain Daylight Time year-round, making it one of the few communities opting out of British Columbia’s new permanent Pacific Time system.
By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi / Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada September 23, 2026
The northeastern British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge has voted to reject the province’s newly adopted permanent Pacific Time, choosing instead to remain on Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) throughout the year.
The decision means residents of the Peace River municipality will continue observing UTC−6 year-round, keeping their clocks aligned with Alberta’s permanent daylight time rather than most of British Columbia.
Why Tumbler Ridge opted out
British Columbia officially ended seasonal clock changes in 2026, introducing a new Pacific Time (PCT) that remains at UTC−7 all year. The provincial government says the change is intended to reduce disruptions caused by switching clocks twice annually and provide greater consistency for residents.
However, Tumbler Ridge’s council decided its stronger economic and social ties with neighbouring Alberta made Mountain Daylight Time the better choice.
By staying on MDT, the town will remain synchronized with Alberta for business, commuting and regional services, even though it will be one hour ahead of most B.C. communities during the summer months.
A growing patchwork of time zones
Tumbler Ridge is not entirely alone.
While most of British Columbia now follows permanent Pacific Time, southeastern communities continue using the traditional Mountain Time system with seasonal daylight saving changes, and the town of Creston has long maintained its own year-round standard time arrangement.
The result is an increasingly complex time map across western Canada, where neighbouring communities may observe different clocks despite being only a short drive apart.
What it means for residents
For people living in Tumbler Ridge, daily life will change very little. The biggest difference will be coordination with the rest of British Columbia:
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Winter: Tumbler Ridge will be 1 hour ahead of most B.C. communities.
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Summer: It will remain aligned with Alberta on Mountain Daylight Time.
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Business: Regional services connected to Alberta will continue operating on the same clock.
British Columbia’s move to permanent Pacific Time has already prompted other western provinces to reconsider their own time policies, with Alberta and Manitoba also adopting year-round daylight time in 2026.
