A provincial time regulation now keeps Northwestern Ontario west of the 90th meridian on UTC-5 throughout the year, ending the seasonal clock change for communities that have traditionally followed Central Time

Thunder Bay – National News Service – Ontario Regulation 333/26, made under the Time Act and published in the Nov. 7 Ontario Gazette, formalizes the change that took effect Nov. 1. Manitoba made the same shift, allowing communities on the Ontario side of the provincial boundary to remain aligned with Winnipeg and other Manitoba centres for work, health appointments, travel and family connections.

The geographic boundary matters. The rule applies west of 90 degrees west longitude, not to Northwestern Ontario as a single administrative region. Thunder Bay lies east of that line and remains under Ontario’s regular Eastern Time rules. In winter, both sides of the line are on UTC-5; when Eastern Daylight Time resumes in March, Thunder Bay will move to UTC-4 while the western area stays at UTC-5.

Aviation publications will lag

NAV CANADA has advised pilots and operators that applicable aerodrome entries, charts and other aeronautical publications will be updated progressively. It expects the full publication change to be completed in fall 2027 and warns that published time-zone information may be inaccurate during the transition.

That warning makes local verification important for flight schedules, airport hours and any service tied to an aeronautical publication. Businesses and organizations should also check recurring calendar entries, payroll, booking systems and other software that may still assume the old Central Time clock-change pattern.

Kenora reported that more than 93 per cent of 5,261 respondents to its September survey supported permanent daylight time and continued alignment with Manitoba. City council unanimously backed that position Oct. 9.

Residents near the boundary and organizations operating across it should use the named location and confirm the UTC offset when arranging future travel or time-sensitive services.

Source notes

• Ontario Regulation 333/26 — official regulation; published in the Ontario Gazette Nov. 7, 2026; accessed Nov. 9, 6:30 a.m. EST
• NAV CANADA Aeronautical Information Circular 025/2026 — published Oct. 29, 2026; effective-date, boundary and publication-transition details; accessed Nov. 9, 6:30 a.m. EST
• City of Kenora time-change statement — published Oct. 13, 2026; survey and council-response details; accessed Nov. 9, 6:30 a.m. EST
• Manitoba year-round time information — official guidance, including systems and calendar cautions; accessed Nov. 9, 6:30 a.m. EST