Daylight saving time starts soon and here’s when Canadians will ‘spring forward’

With more winter storm warnings stacking up across southern Ontario and the Prairies, and temperatures falling even in B.C., it might not feel like spring is right around the corner, but it is. In fact, we’re a mere couple of weeks away from daylight saving time starting again, which means most Canadians will “spring forward” an hour and gain that extra coveted hour of sunlight.

It might come at the cost of an hour of sleep, but it also means later sunsets are on the way!

What is daylight saving time?

Thunder Bay, Ont., was the first place in Canada to observe daylight saving time in 1908, according to Time and Date. The practice of “springing forward” and “falling back” was used to increase production during the First World War in 1918, but according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, it wasn’t regulated in Canada until 1987. Before then, though, daylight saving time (DST) was observed throughout multiple countries globally following wartime.

“Moving the clocks forward one hour in the spring grants us more daylight during summer evenings, while moving clocks back one hour in the fall grants us more daylight during winter mornings,” says the Old Farmers’ Almanac.

Since 1987, the official time zones and DST have been regulated by the provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, with the exception of Yukon, the majority of Saskatchewan, and some locations in Quebec, northwest Ontario, and northeast B.C.

When does daylight saving time start in 2026?

This year, daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2026, meaning our clocks will jump to 3 a.m. on this date.

While spring won’t officially begin until March 20, 2026, the time change often feels like the first step in the transition from winter to spring. Most Canadians will gain one more hour of daylight in the evening, making the sun set later as we approach the warmer months.

This means that the sun will start setting at the following times on Sunday, March 8, 2026:

• Montreal: 7:19 p.m.
• Ottawa: 7:28 p.m.
• Toronto: 7:15 p.m.
• Edmonton: 7:25 p.m.
• Calgary: 7:29 p.m.
• Vancouver: 7:07 p.m.

Mark your calendars and get excited for late sunsets.

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