BC and Alberta Time Zone Changes: What Outlook Users Need to Know Before November 1
Starting November 1, 2026, British Columbia and Alberta will no longer observe seasonal time changes. While this means no more adjusting clocks twice a year, the transition could affect Outlook calendars, recurring meetings and other systems that rely on time zone settings.
Microsoft has released updates to support the change, but organizations may still need to take action to ensure their calendars and schedules remain accurate.
What’s Changing on November 1
Both provinces are moving to permanent daylight saving time, meaning clocks will no longer move back an hour in the fall or forward in the spring.
The new time zones are:
British Columbia: Pacific Time (UTC-07:00)
Alberta: Mountain Time (UTC-06:00)
The two provinces will remain one hour apart, but organizations will need to account for the change when scheduling meetings with people in other regions that continue to observe the seasonal time changes.
What This Means for Outlook Users
To account for this change, Microsoft has introduced new time zone options for Alberta and British Columbia in New Outlook, Classic Outlook and Outlook on the web. Outlook users will need to select the appropriate new time zone in their calendar settings and review upcoming appointments and meetings to prevent scheduling errors, particularly when coordinating across multiple time zones.
Microsoft recommends taking these three steps to prepare:
Update your Outlook time zone. Select the new Alberta or British Columbia time zone in your Outlook calendar settings to ensure upcoming events display correctly and newly created meetings use the right time zone.
Review upcoming meetings and appointments. Check events scheduled for November 1 and beyond, updating their time zone settings where needed.
Double-check recurring meetings. Pay particular attention to meetings that continue beyond November 1, as these may need to be updated to prevent scheduling errors.
For detailed instructions specific to your version of Outlook, refer to Microsoft's official time zone change guidance.
We’re Here to Help
If you’re unsure how these time zone changes could affect your organization, IX Solutions can work with your team to review your Microsoft environment, identify potential scheduling issues and help you make any necessary adjustments.
Have questions about the upcoming changes? Let’s talk.
