The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors March 13 moved that effective this fall, time zone observance for all affected areas within in the RDEK change to year-round Mountain Standard Time (MST).

“Although it has been suggested by the province that local governments have the ability to determine what time zone we follow locally, it is not entirely clear what mechanism would be required to exercise that ability,” explained RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay.

The only legislation that speaks to it is a special rule in the Community Charter that makes an exception for areas in which Mountain Time is customarily used.

“We looked at a few different options with regard to how to move forward, and in the end, voted in favour of adjusting our time in November to align with the rest of B.C., a decision that will be passed on to the province for clarification on how to implement,” added Gay.

The Board voted eight to seven in favour of having all affected areas within the RDEK observe year-round Mountain Standard Time effective November 1, 2026.

“It was a lively discussion and a range of perspectives were shared leading up to the vote,” said Gay. “It is important to recognize that while the resolution refers to ‘all affected areas within the RDEK,’ in order hopefully minimize process where municipalities agree with this approach, each local government is still able to establish their own approach if they wish.”

Voting in favour: Jane Walter (Area E); David Wilks (District of Sparwood); Stan Doehle (Area B); Al Miller (District of Invermere); Don McCormick (City of Kimberley); Joe Caravetta (Area A alternate director); Wayne Price and Norma Blissett (City of Cranbrook).

Voting in opposition: Susan Clovechok (Area F); Mark Doherty (Village of Canal Flats); Mike Gray (Village of Radium Hot Springs); Steve Fairbairn (District of Elkford); Nic Milligan (City of Fernie); Roberta Schneider (Area G); and Rob Gay (Area C).

Radium Mayor Gray argued the board had time to consider the matter longer to allow directors to speak to more constituents.

“There is no pressure for us to lock in right now. There are a lot of opinions on this that should be gathered,” he said.

Elkford Mayor Fairbairn agreed, noting he’d rather see the motion more as a “recommendation.”

RDEK staff will now forward the board’s resolution to the province to get that requested clarity around implementation.

If the change to year-round Mountain Standard Time is approved by the province, it would mean that residents within the RDEK boundary would “fall back” on November 1 for the last time and would then be aligned with the new “Pacific Time Zone.”

The RDEK will share the board’s decision with neighbouring local governments in Golden and Columbia Shuswap Regional District who also observe Mountain Time and were similarly not included in the province’s announcement last week.

Residents wanting to learn more about the decision or to voice their concerns should reach out to their elected official directly.

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