British Columbia will stop changing its clocks starting Nov. 1, affecting how some sports start times display for fans.
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British Columbia will no longer turn its clocks back starting Nov. 1, ending a more than century-long tradition and prompting concerns that some fans may have to relearn local start times.
Back in March, outgoing Premier David Eby and his NDP government announced the province would stop time changes beginning Nov. 1.
Ben Steiner, managing editor of Sports Page BC, said some confusion is already showing up south of the border in Major League Soccer, where the U.S. will be one hour behind B.C.’s new time zone this Sunday.
Steiner pointed to issues with the Whitecaps game this weekend against the Seattle Sounders, saying it was being displayed as a 2:30 p.m. start time in many places even though kickoff is at 1:30 p.m., which could cause some people to arrive late.
The time shift is also expected to affect Vancouver Canucks home games at Rogers Arena in the period after Nov. 1.
Steiner said nine Canucks home games that would normally be played at 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time will see puck drop at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, not including any road games.
He also noted road-game start times may be less straightforward, with one January trip potentially seeing puck drop any time from 6 p.m. on a Friday to noon on a Wednesday.
Despite the potential confusion, some fans said they like the extra hour before kickoff, with one local football follower saying, “It’ll give me an extra hour to do things around the house.”
For the next few months, Steiner said fans should double-check the local start time before tuning in.
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