Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. What you Need to Know
3. What You Need to Do
4. Windows
5. Outlook
   1. New Outlook
   2. Classic Outlook
   3. Teams
6. Apple Devices and Apple Calendar
7. FAQ
8. Further Information
9. Need Help

 

Overview

Starting November 1, 2026, British Columbia will stay on a new time zone setting (UTC-07:00) year-round.

TWU users must manually update their Outlook calendar settings to use the new time zone.

What You Need to Know

• British Columbia will stay on UTC-07:00 year-round starting November 1, 2026.
• Outlook and Microsoft 365 will include a new (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) option.
• Manually update your Outlook time zone when the new option becomes available.
• New meetings will use the new time zone after you update your settings.
• Existing meetings may need to be updated by the organizer.
• Review recurring meetings carefully.

! What You Need to Do

1. Update / Ensure your Windows time zone has been changed to (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)
2. Update your Outlook calendar time zone to (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).
   1. Note: Meetings you are attending will now be updated.
3. Change each meeting you organized after November 1, 2026, to the new time zone (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).
4. Save the meeting and send the update to attendees.

*See below for detailed instructions and screen shots

 

Windows Time Zone Change Instructions

• Update your computer time zone first
• Right click the date/time in corner

Outlook / Teams Time Zone Update Instructions

Before sending a meeting invitation, make sure the meeting is using (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).

If you organized any meetings, click into already scheduled meetings after November 1, and EDIT "this event" or "this and all following events"

1. Open Outlook settings
2. General -> Language and time -> Time Zone (change)
3. Display my calendar in time zone: (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)
4. Save

Now all meetings you have been invited to will diplay correct after November 1, 2026

New Outlook Meetings

1. In New Outlook, select the Time zone button (globe icon) when creating or editing a meeting.
2. The meeting details will expand to show the start and end time zones. Update both fields show (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).
3. If the time zone fields are not visible, select the globe icon to display them.
4. Click "Send""

 

Classic Outlook Meetings

When creating or editing a meeting in Classic Outlook, turn on Time zones if it is not already enabled.

Outlook will show the time zone next to the start and end times. Update/Confirm that (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) is selected before sending the invitation.

 

Microsoft Teams

When scheduling a meeting in Teams, select the Time zone icon next to the meeting date and time.

Teams will display the time zone settings for the meeting. Confirm that both the start and end times are set to (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).

If you use the Scheduling Assistant, you can still verify the meeting time zone before sending the invitation.

Apple Devices and Apple Calendar

Outlook for Mac Update

Microsoft has released an update for Outlook for Mac (version 16.114.4) that includes the correct (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) time zone.

Mac users should:

• Update Outlook for Mac to version 16.114.4 or later.

• After updating, open Outlook and set the calendar time zone to (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia).

• Keep the macOS time zone set to Vancouver.

If the update is not appearing automatically, open the Microsoft Teams app and go to Help > Check for updates. This may trigger Microsoft AutoUpdate to check for available Microsoft 365 app updates.

Once Outlook has been updated, the previous workaround of using (UTC-07:00) Yukon is no longer required.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my existing meetings update automatically?

No. Existing meetings may need to be updated by the meeting organizer.

Do attendees need to make changes?

No. The meeting organizer should make any needed changes.

Do I need to recreate new meetings?

No. New meetings will use the correct time zone after you update your Outlook settings.

Why can’t I see someone’s availability when scheduling a meeting?

After changing to the new time zone, you may not be able to see other users’ availability (free/busy information) when scheduling a meeting in Outlook. This is a known issue and is currently being investigated.

 

Further Information

For Microsoft's latest guidance on time zone changes affecting Canadian provinces, visit:

Microsoft: Time Zone Changes for Canadian Provinces

 

Need Help?

If you have questions about the new British Columbia time zone setting or notice a meeting at the wrong time, please contact the TWU Service Hub.

To submit a ticket, use the Computer Support service.