BC time zone change

Overview

On Sunday, November 1, 2026, British Columbia adopted permanent year-round daylight savings time, or Pacific time (PCT, UTC-07:00). This means that in BC, clocks will no longer "fall back" one hour in the Fall or "spring forward" one hour in the Spring.

The College and its many vendors have been hard at work to prepare for the new time zone and mitigate any impact.

To make sure you are not impacted by the time zone change:

• Make sure your devices are up to date with their latest OS updates and set to the new time zone (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) (or equivalent ie. (UTC-07:00) Yukon if the new time zone is not yet available). Check and manage your computer's time zone.
• Check your time zone in Outlook to ensure you are on the new (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) time zone.
• Check your Outlook calendar for November and beyond and update your meetings' time zone as needed. 
  NOTE - Only meeting organizers (creators) can modify meetings. Contact your meeting organizer for any meetings that need to be updated.

Microsoft has released this article on how to make sure your Outlook is ready for the new time zone: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/calendar/timezone-changes-for-canada-provinces.

Zoom also has an article on configuring your time zone for Zoom and Zoom meetings: https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0063717

For further recommendations and guidance, see below.

Recommendations

As the College transitions to the new time zone, you may notice some unexpected behaviour, particularly with your Outlook calendar and scheduled meetings as a result of this change. Here is what we have already identified, along with the following recommendations and guidance to help minimize any impact and ensure a smooth transition.

1. Update your devices and make sure they are on the new time zone
   • Ensure your devices have the new time zone available by updating them to their most recent updates. Refer to Checking and managing time zone settings on computers for directions on how to set the time zone on your device.
     CAUTION - Langara managed Windows computers may require at least 1 hour for updates to install depending on the age of the device. To avoid interruptions to your work, leave the updates to install at the end of your day. Langara managed Apple computers should be fine as long as they are online.
     NOTE - Personal devices are the responsibility of their owners as Langara IT has limited support for personal devices. Please refer to your vendor for support if needed.


2. Confirm your time zone in Outlook
   • The College has updated those on the old Pacific Standard time zone to the new BC time zone, however it is advised to Check your time zone in Outlook to ensure you are on the new (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) time zone as some accounts may have been missed by the script.


3. Confirm your meetings' times in Outlook
   • Meeting organizers will need to manually update the time zone for their meetings to the (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) time zone for both the meeting's start and end times. Refer to the Setting the time zone for meetings in Outlook for instructions.
     NOTE - Only meeting organizers (creators) can modify meetings. Contact your meeting organizer for any meetings that need to be updated.

Additional IT Support

All organizations and institutions across BC are undergoing the same experience with the coming time zone change. If you find that there is an issue with your Outlook time zone or Langara IT managed device after November 1, please submit a General Device Support request or contact us through remotesupport.langara.ca.