Service Desk Review and for internal technical review
British Columbia Time Zone Change: What You Need to Know
Overview
British Columbia has adopted a new permanent time zone, Pacific Time (British Columbia) (UTC-07:00), and will no longer switch back to Standard Time on November 1, 2026. The Province has confirmed that clocks will remain at UTC-07:00 year-round moving forward.
· Government of BC – Permanent Daylight Saving Time
· Microsoft – Outlook Time Zone Changes for Alberta and British Columbia
· Microsoft – Changing Appointments and Meetings
To support this change, UFV IT will deploy updates to university-managed computers before November 1. These updates will automatically configure:
- Computer date and time settings
- Windows time zone settings
- Outlook time zone settings (where applicable)
What Will Automatically Be Updated?
After UFV's updates are applied:
- Your UFV-managed computer will use the new British Columbia time zone.
- New Outlook calendar appointments will be created using the correct time zone.
- New Teams meetings will be scheduled using the correct time zone.
- Computer clocks will display the correct local time.
What May Need Attention?
Existing Calendar Appointments
Meetings and appointments that were created before November 1 - the time zone change may not automatically adjust correctly.
This is most likely to affect:
- Future meetings scheduled before November 1, 2026
- Recurring meetings
- Multi-year recurring meetings
Users may notice some meetings appearing one hour earlier or later than expected after November 1.
What Should Meeting Organizers Do?
If you organize meetings that occur after November 1, 2026, please review your calendar and verify that future appointments display the correct time.
Single Meetings
- Open the meeting in Outlook.
- Verify the date and time.
- If necessary:
- Edit the meeting.
- Save and send the update.
Recurring Meetings
Recurring meetings require special attention.
- Open the recurring meeting series.
- Verify future occurrences after November 1.
- If meeting times appear incorrect:
- Update the series. By changing the Start Time Zone in your Web Calendar
- Save and send updates to attendees.
Important: If individual occurrences within the series were previously modified, review those occurrences after updating the series to ensure they remain correct.
How to Check Your Time Zone in Outlook
Classic Outlook
- Open Options
- Select Calendar
- Select Time Zone
- Confirm your time zone is: (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)
New Outlook
- Open Settings
- Open Calendar
- Click View - Scroll down to look for Time Zones
- Confirm your time zone is: (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)
Outlook on the Web
- Select Settings
- Choose Calendar
- Select View
- Verify the time zone is: (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)
Common Questions
Do I need to change my computer clock manually? - No.
UFV-managed computers will receive updates through the university's standard systems management process.
Will Teams meetings be affected?
New Teams meetings created after the update should use the correct time zone.
However, existing meetings scheduled before the change should be reviewed by the meeting organizer.
I am only an attendee. Can I fix a meeting? - No.
Only the meeting organizer can modify and redistribute meeting updates.
If a meeting appears at the wrong time, contact the organizer.
What if I work with people outside British Columbia?
Please pay close attention when scheduling meetings with colleagues in other provinces, U.S. states, India, or international locations, as many jurisdictions will continue to observe seasonal daylight-saving time changes.
Need Help?
If you notice calendar appointments, Teams meetings, or computer clocks showing incorrect times after November 1, please contact the IT Service Desk and provide:
- The meeting subject
- Date and time of the meeting
- Whether you are the organizer or attendee
- Screenshots if available
The Service Desk will assist in verifying time zone settings and identifying any calendar items requiring correction.
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Detailed Instructions:
Before you start : Only the organizer can update a meeting.
You only need to update meetings you created.
Meetings you were invited to will be corrected when their organizer updates them.
These steps are for the new Outlook and Outlook on the web.
…..Note……. : The screens in classic Outlook look different.
Step 1: Set your Outlook time zone
1. In Outlook, select Settings (the gear icon).
2. Select Calendar, then View.
3. Under Time zones, set Display my calendar in time zone to (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).
4. Save the change if you are prompted, then close Settings.
Step 2: Update your meetings
Repeat these steps for each meeting you organized that takes place on or after November 1, 2026.
1. In your calendar, right-click the meeting and choose Open. For a recurring meeting, choose Open, then All events in the series.
2. Click the date and time to open the time section, then click the blue globe to the right of Start Time Zone.
3. A Reset Time Zones message will appear. Select Yes. The message refers to "Pacific Standard Time"; this is the new time zone, so the wording is expected.
4. Check that Start Time Zone and End Time Zone now show (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) and that the start and end times are still correct.
5. Select Send to send the updated meeting to your attendees.
Things to know
Recurring meetings. Updating the time zone for a series resets any individual occurrences you had previously changed, such as one moved to a different time. Make those changes again after you update the series.
Attendees. Everyone invited will receive an updated meeting invitation.