2026 schedule
| Change | Date | Local time | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clocks go forward | Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 2:00 AM | Jumps to 3:00 AM — one hour is lost |
| Clocks go back | Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 2:00 AM | Returns to 1:00 AM — one hour is gained |
Ontario keeps EST in winter and shifts one hour forward for the summer.
Time until the next change
Current local time:
Health Considerations for Ontario Residents
The spring transition is the one that hurts. A study in Open Heart found the risk of heart attack rose by about 24% on the Monday after clocks went forward, before falling back to normal within the week. Research published in Current Biology found a 6% rise in fatal traffic accidents in the week following the spring change, with the effect strongest in the morning and in the western parts of time zones.
The autumn change, when most people gain an hour, shows no comparable spike. Researchers attribute the difference to sleep loss rather than to the clock change itself.
Agricultural Considerations
The story that DST was introduced for farmers has it exactly backwards. Farmers in Ontario and elsewhere were among its most persistent opponents, and the American farm lobby successfully campaigned to have national DST repealed after the First World War.
The reason is straightforward: farm work follows the sun, not the clock. Moving the clock forward just means doing the same work an hour earlier by the clock, while deliveries, markets and hired labour all shift with it. Dairy farmers make the point most often, since cows keep to their own schedule and take several days to adjust to a changed milking time.
Getting ready
- Set your clocks before going to bed to avoid confusion in the morning.
- Use the extra evening daylight in summer for outdoor activities and vitamin D.
- Be extra cautious driving the Monday after the spring time change - accident rates increase.
- Take advantage of the 'extra' hour in fall to catch up on sleep or tackle a project.
Frequently asked questions
When do the clocks change in Ontario in 2026?
Clocks go forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Which way do the clocks go?
"Spring forward, fall back" is the usual mnemonic: forward one hour in spring, back one hour in autumn.
Do I have to change anything myself?
Phones, computers and anything that syncs over the internet update on their own. Car clocks, ovens, microwaves and older wall clocks generally do not.
Is Daylight Saving Time being scrapped?
It has been proposed in many places and adopted in few. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end mandatory clock changes and the change has stalled; in the United States the Sunshine Protection Act has repeatedly passed the Senate without becoming law. Most of the world that changes its clocks is still changing them.