Canada Time Zones, Plus Mexico, Brazil and South America

Last updated November 9, 2026 · Written by Han with AI assistance, fact-checked against official sources.

The Americas outside the United States include some of the most varied time zone rules in the world. Countries have started and stopped daylight saving time in recent years, so it pays to check the current rule.

Canada: six zones

Canada uses Pacific (Vancouver), Mountain (Edmonton), Central (Winnipeg), Eastern (Toronto), Atlantic (Halifax) and Newfoundland time. Newfoundland is a half-hour zone at UTC−3:30 in winter (St. John's).

Most of Canada changes its clocks on the same dates as the United States, but several provinces stopped in 2026. British Columbia stays on UTC−7 all year (Vancouver), Alberta on UTC−6 (Edmonton), and Manitoba on UTC−5 from November 1, 2026 (Winnipeg). Most of Saskatchewan has stayed on Central Standard Time all year for decades (Regina), and Yukon has used UTC−7 all year since 2020. Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces still change their clocks. The guide to places that stopped daylight saving time gives the date of each province's last change.

This changes the familiar gaps. In winter Vancouver is one hour ahead of Los Angeles, Edmonton shows the same time as Chicago, and Winnipeg the same time as New York and Toronto. In summer the old pairs line up again.

Mexico: four zones, no national daylight saving time

Mexico ended daylight saving time in 2022. It has four zones: Southeast (UTC−5, including Cancún), Central (UTC−6, including Mexico City), Pacific (UTC−7) and Northwest (UTC−8). Border cities such as Tijuana follow the US schedule, including daylight saving time. The Mexico and US time difference guide lists which Mexican cities match which US clock in winter and in summer.

Brazil: four zones, no daylight saving time

Brazil abolished daylight saving time in 2019. The country has four zones, from UTC−2 on the Fernando de Noronha islands to UTC−5 in Acre. The most-used zone is Brasília time at UTC−3 (São Paulo). Other examples are Manaus at UTC−4 and Rio Branco at UTC−5. Brazil and US Time Difference has São Paulo against every US zone and the gap month by month before and after 2019.

South America at a glance

Ecuador also owns the Galápagos Islands, which are one hour behind the mainland (Galápagos).

Central America and the Caribbean

Most of Central America uses a fixed offset all year; for example Costa Rica is on UTC−6 and Panama on UTC−5. In the Caribbean, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic keep the same time all year, while Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas change their clocks in spring and autumn.

Scheduling tips for the Americas

• Because some countries change their clocks and others do not, the gap to a US or Canadian city can be different in summer and in winter. Always check the date.
• Name the city, not the country. "Brazil time" or "Mexico time" can mean more than one zone.
• If the other side is in a country without daylight saving time, remember that their clocks do not move when yours do.

See also the guide to time zones in the United States and how daylight saving time shifts the gaps.