Longer Evenings Are Coming—Here’s When Canadians Feel It First

Are you ready to lose an hour of sleep but gain sunlight that actually lasts past dinner?

Daylight Saving Time is coming back, and on March 8, 2026, Canadians across most of the country will be setting their clocks forward. That hour you gained back in the fall? Yeah, it’s time to give it back.

Some people love the longer evenings. Others hate losing sleep and dealing with the grogginess that comes with it. And a growing number of Canadians are asking why we’re still doing this at all.

This article breaks down everything you need to know about DST in Canada. When it happens, why it exists, and why so many people want to ditch it for good. Plus, we’ll talk about which parts of Canada feel those longer evenings first and what might change in the future.

Spoiler alert: you’re not the only one tired of changing your clocks twice a year.

What Actually Happens on March 8?

At 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 8, 2026, clocks spring forward to 3:00 AM. You lose an hour of sleep, but you gain an extra hour of daylight in the evening.

Most smartphones and computers update automatically, but you’ll still need to manually change things like your car clock, microwave, and that one wall clock you forgot existed until now.

The upside? Suddenly it’s light outside when you leave work. You can go for a walk after dinner without needing a flashlight. Patios and parks stay busy later into the evening. It genuinely feels like winter is finally loosening its grip.

The downside? That first Monday morning is rough. Really rough. Your body doesn’t care that the clock says 7:00 AM when it feels like 6:00 AM.

How Did This Whole Thing Start?

Daylight Saving Time isn’t some ancient tradition. It’s actually pretty recent in the grand scheme of things.

Canada’s version started in 1908 in Port Arthur, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay). Residents decided to push their clocks forward by an hour to make better use of daylight. It was just a local thing at first, but the idea caught on.

By the late 1960s, DST became a national practice across most of Canada. The thinking was simple: more evening daylight means people use less electricity for lighting. Conserve energy, save money, everyone wins.

Except… does it actually work that way? That’s where things get complicated.

The Problem With Changing Clocks Twice a Year

Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you’re a kid learning about DST: it might actually be bad for you.

A 2022 policy proposal from the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce laid out some pretty alarming research. Studies show that the time change itself causes real problems:

Sleep loss is the obvious one. Losing an hour might not sound like much, but it throws off your body’s internal clock. You feel tired, unfocused, and cranky for days (or even weeks) after the change.

Heart attacks increase right after the spring time change. Research has found a spike in heart attack rates in the days following DST, likely due to stress on the body from disrupted sleep patterns.

Traffic accidents go up too. Tired drivers make mistakes. The Monday after springing forward sees a noticeable increase in car crashes.

So yeah, DST might save some electricity (though even that’s debatable with modern usage patterns), but it’s literally hurting people in the process.

Canadians Want Out

You’re not imagining it. More and more people are sick of this twice yearly ritual.

In 2019, British Columbia ran a survey asking residents what they thought about DST. The results were overwhelming: 93% of respondents wanted to stop changing clocks. That’s not just a majority. That’s basically everyone.

The Province proposed making DST permanent, meaning clocks would spring forward in March and then just… stay there. No more falling back. No more losing sleep. Just consistent time year round.

Sounds perfect, right? So why hasn’t it happened?

The Coordination Problem

Here’s where it gets tricky. B.C. doesn’t want to make the change alone because it would create chaos with neighboring areas.

The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce specifically recommended that B.C. work with Washington State, Oregon, and California to all switch to permanent DST together. That way, businesses, travel, and schedules wouldn’t get completely messed up by time zone confusion.

Other provinces are in the same boat. Quebec and Ontario have both expressed interest in ditching the clock changes, but they’re waiting to see what happens elsewhere first.

Nobody wants to be the only province operating on a different schedule than everyone around them. It would make trade, travel, and communication unnecessarily complicated.

So for now, everyone’s stuck waiting for enough regions to coordinate the change together.

Who Feels the Longer Evenings First?

Here’s something interesting: not all Canadians experience DST the same way.

Eastern provinces see the sun rise and set earlier than western provinces, thanks to how time zones work. So places like Newfoundland and Nova Scotia start getting those longer, lighter evenings before British Columbia does.

But regardless of where you live, that extra evening daylight hits differently after months of darkness by 5:00 PM. Suddenly you can actually do things after work without feeling like you’re operating in the dead of night.

People start going outside more. Restaurants and patios fill up. There’s this collective mood shift that happens when daylight extends into the evening hours.

It’s one of the reasons people defend DST despite its problems. Those longer evenings genuinely improve quality of life for a lot of folks.

Saskatchewan Has It Figured Out

Want to know who’s winning at this whole time thing? Saskatchewan.

Most of Saskatchewan doesn’t observe DST at all. They just stay on Central Standard Time year round. No springing forward, no falling back, no losing sleep.

It works because they’re geographically positioned in a way that makes it reasonable. Other provinces could theoretically do the same, but again, it comes down to coordination with neighboring regions.

Still, Saskatchewan proves that opting out is possible. And honestly, they seem pretty happy with their choice.

What Happens Next?

For now, you’re still changing your clocks on March 8, 2026. And then again in November. And probably for the next few years until enough regions agree to make a permanent change together.

Public support for ditching DST is there. The research showing its negative effects is there. What’s missing is the political will and regional coordination to actually make it happen.

In the meantime, you can prepare for the time change by adjusting your sleep schedule a few days early. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night leading up to the switch. It helps your body adapt without the brutal Monday morning shock.

And hey, at least you get those longer evenings. After a Canadian winter, that’s something worth celebrating.

The Bottom Line

Daylight Saving Time is coming whether you like it or not. March 8 means losing an hour of sleep but gaining daylight that lasts well into the evening.

Is it worth the disruption? That depends on who you ask. What’s clear is that more Canadians than ever want to stop changing clocks twice a year.

Maybe one day soon, provinces will coordinate and make permanent DST a reality. Until then, set your clocks forward, grab an extra coffee on Monday, and enjoy those longer evenings while they last.

Because honestly, after months of winter darkness, we’ll take all the sunlight we can get.