Heads up: The *Regional District of East Kootenay* is planning to move to year-round Mountain Standard Time (MST) on November 1, 2026. The district will seek approval from the province (British Columbia). I am skepitcal that they really need provincial approval, but I guess there is no harm in seeking it. In practical terms the district would move from MDT to MST on November 1 as per usual. After that, the clocks would stay fixed on MST. Currently most of East Kootenay uses the *America/Edmonton* TZ ID. There is a very small area in the southwest corner that uses *America/Creston*. If the change is approved, we would need a new TZ ID... probably something like "*America/Cranbrook"*. https://www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_rou... Columbia-Shuswap Regional District lies to the north of East Kootenay Regional District. Some areas of Columbia-Shuswap are already on year-round MST and some areas (including the town of Golden) use MST/MDT. I would not be surprised if all of Columbia-Shuswap eventually adopts year-round MST. If that happens, the entire province of BC would be aligned on year-round MST. -chris
On 2026-03-15 09:52, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
Heads up:
The *Regional District of East Kootenay* is planning to move to year-round Mountain Standard Time (MST) on November 1, 2026. The district will seek approval from the province (British Columbia). I am skepitcal that they really need provincial approval, but I guess there is no harm in seeking it.
In practical terms the district would move from MDT to MST on November 1 as per usual. After that, the clocks would stay fixed on MST.
Currently most of East Kootenay uses the *America/Edmonton* TZ ID. There is a very small area in the southwest corner that uses *America/Creston*. If the change is approved, we would need a new TZ ID... probably something like "*America/Cranbrook"*.
https://www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/ rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_round_mountain_standard_time <https:// www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/ rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_round_mountain_standard_time>
Columbia-Shuswap Regional District lies to the north of East Kootenay Regional District. Some areas of Columbia-Shuswap are already on year-round MST and some areas (including the town of Golden) use MST/MDT. I would not be surprised if all of Columbia-Shuswap eventually adopts year-round MST. If that happens, the entire province of BC would be aligned on year-round MST.
Given that Eby has already announced that change on behalf of the AG for the whole province of BC as of 2026-03-09, and the list has agreed that it will be called MST by 2026-11-01, not Pacific as that would be confusing until the US changes. But for the history all areas could share with any of: $ zdump America/{Dawson_Creek,Fort_Nelson,Whitehorse,Dawson,Phoenix} America/Dawson_Creek Sun Mar 15 09:13:58 2026 MST America/Fort_Nelson Sun Mar 15 09:13:58 2026 MST America/Whitehorse Sun Mar 15 09:13:58 2026 MST America/Dawson Sun Mar 15 09:13:58 2026 MST America/Phoenix Sun Mar 15 09:13:58 2026 MST As BC is covered by America/Vancouver, that may be the changed zone. It is currently commented as "Pacific - BC (most areas)" maybe going to "MST - BC", and generically on most phones maybe America/Phoenix currently "Mountain Standard (MST) - Arizona; western Mexico; Yukon" to which will be added "BC;" depending on the zones supported by distros and adopted by platforms: $ grep 'MST\([^/]\|$\)' zone*.tab zone.tab:CA +4906-11631 America/Creston MST - BC (Creston) zone.tab:CA +5546-12014 America/Dawson_Creek MST - BC (Dawson Cr, Ft St John) zone.tab:CA +5848-12242 America/Fort_Nelson MST - BC (Ft Nelson) zone.tab:CA +6043-13503 America/Whitehorse MST - Yukon (east) zone.tab:CA +6404-13925 America/Dawson MST - Yukon (west) zone.tab:US +332654-1120424 America/Phoenix MST - AZ (except Navajo) zone1970.tab:CA +5546-12014 America/Dawson_Creek MST - BC (Dawson Cr, Ft St John) zone1970.tab:CA +5848-12242 America/Fort_Nelson MST - BC (Ft Nelson) zone1970.tab:CA +6043-13503 America/Whitehorse MST - Yukon (east) zone1970.tab:CA +6404-13925 America/Dawson MST - Yukon (west) zone1970.tab:US,CA +332654-1120424 America/Phoenix MST - AZ (most areas), Creston BC zonenow.tab:# -07 - MST zonenow.tab:XX +332654-1120424 America/Phoenix Mountain Standard (MST) - Arizona; western Mexico; Yukon See (for now) https://github.com/eggert/tz/commit/8e7dcafc27d6 -- Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis Calgary, Alberta, Canada La perfection est atteinte Perfection is achieved non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter not when there is no more to add mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher but when there is no more to cut -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
On 2026-03-15 08:52, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
https://www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_rou...
Thanks for the heads-up. Although it was a close vote, I think unlikely they'll reverse it as few like messing with the clocks twice a year. And even less likely do I see the BC government overturning it, as the BC government already said this sort of thing is OK. Proposed patch attached. If we release 2026b and East Kootenay later says "never mind", we can replace the patch with a backward link to the name of our misguessed Zone.
Thank you Paul. I am just thinking aloud... Alberta will have a referendum on October 19, 2026. There is a high probability that the Alberta government could add one or more daylight saving related questions. If the people of Alberta were to vote for year-round MST, then the government could theoretically eliminate the transition to MDT scheduled for March 14, 2027. It would be rushing things, but we have all seen worse. If all of this played out then Cranbrook would never become out of sync from Edmonton and the new America/Cranbrook zone would not technically be required. I wish I could tell you the future, but my crystal ball is uncooperative in these matters. -chris On Sun, Mar 15, 2026 at 3:56 PM Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu> wrote:
On 2026-03-15 08:52, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
https://www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_rou...
Thanks for the heads-up. Although it was a close vote, I think unlikely they'll reverse it as few like messing with the clocks twice a year. And even less likely do I see the BC government overturning it, as the BC government already said this sort of thing is OK. Proposed patch attached. If we release 2026b and East Kootenay later says "never mind", we can replace the patch with a backward link to the name of our misguessed Zone.
On 2026-03-15 20:00, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
If all of this played out then Cranbrook would never become out of sync from Edmonton and the new America/Cranbrook zone would not technically be required.
Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps we should comment out the new Cranbrook entry for now, at least for the release due soon. We can always add it later.
Paul, Commenting out the new America/Cranbrook zone would be slightly unfair for the people of East Kootenay Regional District because their politicians have given us ample notice of their intentions. However, I would totally understand if you wish to comment out the entry for now. I don't wish to be responsible for the inclusion of a zone if it ends up not being required. Brian I., In the meantime, if you wish to file a report from Alberta and tell us if you believe a permanent switch to MST next November is a reality, then we can all place our bets. You don't need to tell us how you would vote! -chris On Mon, Mar 16, 2026 at 1:32 AM Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu> wrote:
On 2026-03-15 20:00, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
If all of this played out then Cranbrook would never become out of sync from Edmonton and the new America/Cranbrook zone would not technically be required.
Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps we should comment out the new Cranbrook entry for now, at least for the release due soon. We can always add it later.
On 2026-03-16 08:22, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
Brian I., In the meantime, if you wish to file a report from Alberta and tell us if you believe a permanent switch to MST next November is a reality, then we can all place our bets.
Already posted re previous 2021 DST referendum question - see before!
You don't need to tell us how you would vote!
My opinion is based on the provincial geography, and my vote would be predictable, depending on the referendum question, designed so the politicians (and their business donors) get the answer they expect: see previous post. We are all far enough north that we really do not need DST early in "spring"/winter or late in fall/winter, as it is darker later than it need be, almost four months driving into the sun during commutes, nor in summer, when it is brighter later than many would prefer their children and themselves asleep. The province spans 110W -07:20 to 120W -08:00 so my vote would be for -08:00 PST or -07:30 ABST/CAST (CA AB ST)! Why should Newfoundland have all the fun? ;^> As far as BC is concerned, the majority of the population lives in the Vancouver metro area touching 49N and their opinions affect most of the decisions. <https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/data/geobc/bc_esize_reference_map_for_prin...> BC S border spans from 114W ~-07:40 to ~130W -8:40 and the N border from 120W -08:00 to ~140W -09:20 so zones from -08:00, -08:30, to -09:00 would make sense: once again splitting the difference should be preferred ;^> -- Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis Calgary, Alberta, Canada La perfection est atteinte Perfection is achieved non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter not when there is no more to add mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher but when there is no more to cut -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 at 10:23, Chris Walton via tz <tz@iana.org> wrote:
Paul, Commenting out the new America/Cranbrook zone would be slightly unfair for the people of East Kootenay Regional District because their politicians have given us ample notice of their intentions. However, I would totally understand if you wish to comment out the entry for now. I don't wish to be responsible for the inclusion of a zone if it ends up not being required.
Since the planned divergence from America/Edmonton's current practice wouldn't be until 2027-03-14, nearly a year from now, we have quite some time yet to see whether the rest of America/Edmonton might join in and obviate the need for a new zone while still being able to get an update out with several months' leadtime if it is. -- Tim Parenti
The final decision East Kootenay made a few days ago may turn out not to be final after all. They are going to reopen the debate next month! Now we definitely need the entry commented out as we have no idea what will happen. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/what-time-is-it-in-the-east-... . -chris On Mon, Mar 16, 2026, 6:54 PM Tim Parenti <tim@timtimeonline.com> wrote:
On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 at 10:23, Chris Walton via tz <tz@iana.org> wrote:
Paul, Commenting out the new America/Cranbrook zone would be slightly unfair for the people of East Kootenay Regional District because their politicians have given us ample notice of their intentions. However, I would totally understand if you wish to comment out the entry for now. I don't wish to be responsible for the inclusion of a zone if it ends up not being required.
Since the planned divergence from America/Edmonton's current practice wouldn't be until 2027-03-14, nearly a year from now, we have quite some time yet to see whether the rest of America/Edmonton might join in and obviate the need for a new zone while still being able to get an update out with several months' leadtime if it is.
-- Tim Parenti
On 2026-03-17 22:21, Chris Walton wrote:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/what-time-is-it-in-the-east-... Thanks for following up on this. Rather than comment out the entry, let's remove it for now. We can always bring it back from the Git history.
But let's also keep the commentary for now, if only as a home for Steve Fairbairn's pun. Proposed further patch attached and installed in the development repository.
Due to public pressure, the Regional District of East Kootenay board of directors voted today to rescind their March 13 decision to adopt year-round Mountain Standard Time. This means the district is back to status quo for now — MST in winter and MDT in summer (same as Edmonton). The board also voted to create a survey to seek further input from the public before anymore time zone changes are adopted. Exactly how the survey will be conducted is not clear yet, but it probably will not be a fully fledged referendum. https://kimberleybulletin.com/2026/04/10/rdek-board-votes-for-public-survey-... -chris
Alberta already had a permanent DST (MDT == CST) referendum question during the 2021-10-18 municipal elections: business interests including airlines and tourist industry opposed it, and the major metro and tourist areas voted against it: https://www.elections.ab.ca/elections/referendum/ https://officialresults.elections.ab.ca/orResultsReferendum2021.cfm?EventId=... Sample of municipalities with 10k+ votes (ignoring declined, blank, or rejected ballots): Declined/Blank ballots totalling 22949 represents 2% of the Votes, much more than the 0.4% difference in the results. The larger proportions of No votes seem to be from higher elevations, northernly locations, and bigger metro areas, which have more issues with DST causing later sunrises early in the year when it is dark and the weather is worse, and less benefit as they already have later sunsets in summer. Estimated Turnout: Elections Alberta maintains the provincial List of Electors, which as of April 2021 included 2,822,303 electors. The estimated turnout for the referenda on Daylight Saving Time, using the provincial List of Electors, is 38.7%. Referendum Results Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year? Jurisdiction (includes) Votes Yes No AIRDRIE 12029 6215 5656 CALGARY 392780 187286 198957 EDMONTON 235852 104187 125408 LETHBRIDGE 28293 14158 13484 MEDICINE HAT 19998 12113 7473 RED DEER 21750 11523 9580 ROCKY VIEW COUNTY 11540 5505 5831 + Redwood Meadows + Tsuu T'ina Indian Reserve #145 + Tsuu T'ina Nation ST. ALBERT 17826 7374 10038 STRATHCONA COUNTY 30501 13657 16213 Provincial Total 1093028 531782 536874 Percentage 49.8% 50.2% Sample of municipalities with 1k+ votes and majority for No permanent DST: Jurisdiction Votes Yes No %Yes %No CANMORE 4698 1666 3032 35.46 64.54 BANFF 2008 848 1160 42.23 57.77 ST. ALBERT 17412 7374 10038 42.35 57.65 GRANDE PRAIRIE 9409 4140 5269 44.00 56.00 EDMONTON 229595 104187 125408 45.38 54.62 JASPER 1343 611 732 45.50 54.50 STRATHCONA COUNTY 29870 13657 16213 45.72 54.28 PEACE RIVER 1837 847 990 46.11 53.89 COUNTY OF GRANDE PRAIRIE NO. 1 4836 2294 2542 47.44 52.56 FORT SASKATCHEWAN 6141 2916 3225 47.48 52.52 OKOTOKS 7391 3523 3868 47.67 52.33 COCHRANE 6724 3225 3499 47.96 52.04 DEVON 2144 1037 1107 48.37 51.63 LETHBRIDGE COUNTY 1184 573 611 48.40 51.60 CALGARY 386243 187286 198957 48.49 51.51 ROCKY VIEW COUNTY 11336 5505 5831 48.56 51.44 COUNTY OF NEWELL 1503 731 772 48.64 51.36 PINCHER CREEK 1200 587 613 48.92 51.08 SPRUCE GROVE 7805 3827 3978 49.03 50.97 BEAUMONT 4417 2174 2243 49.22 50.78 STURGEON COUNTY 4460 2198 2262 49.28 50.72 Provincial Total 1068656 531782 536874 49.76 50.24 On 2026-03-15 21:00, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
Thank you Paul.
I am just thinking aloud... Alberta will have a referendum on October 19, 2026. There is a high probability that the Alberta government could add one or more daylight saving related questions. If the people of Alberta were to vote for year-round MST, then the government could theoretically eliminate the transition to MDT scheduled for March 14, 2027. It would be rushing things, but we have all seen worse. If all of this played out then Cranbrook would never become out of sync from Edmonton and the new America/Cranbrook zone would not technically be required. I wish I could tell you the future, but my crystal ball is uncooperative in these matters.
-chris
On Sun, Mar 15, 2026 at 3:56 PM Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu> wrote:
On 2026-03-15 08:52, Chris Walton via tz wrote:
https://www.rdek.bc.ca/news/entry/rdek_board_moves_to_transition_to_year_rou...
Thanks for the heads-up. Although it was a close vote, I think unlikely they'll reverse it as few like messing with the clocks twice a year. And even less likely do I see the BC government overturning it, as the BC government already said this sort of thing is OK. Proposed patch attached. If we release 2026b and East Kootenay later says "never mind", we can replace the patch with a backward link to the name of our misguessed Zone.
-- Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis Calgary, Alberta, Canada
La perfection est atteinte Perfection is achieved non pas lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à ajouter not when there is no more to add mais lorsqu'il n'y a plus rien à retrancher but when there is no more to cut -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
participantes (4)
-
Brian Inglis -
Chris Walton -
Paul Eggert -
Tim Parenti