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This page will provide users with some guidance on how to ensure that British Columbia's time zone changes in 2026 will not adversely affect Outlook Web Access (OWA) calendar appointments that were scheduled prior to the new time zone being available as a choice in Outlook. Starting in 2026, British Columbia will be moving to a new time zone named (UTC -7:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) This may cause appointments scheduled in advance of the change to appear to be at an incorrect time after November 1.
Important Note: These instructions cover steps to correct calendar appointments in the Outlook Web Access (OWA) application. If you use to access your email in the Outlook (Classic) application on your computer the steps will differ. Outlook (Classic) steps for correcting appointments post-time zone change can be found here:
How do I spot the discrepancy in my Outlook calendar?
The best way to do so is to check the week of November 1-7, 2026 in your Outlook calendar with particular attention paid to repeating appointments and determine if the time is consistent. An example is provided below:
| Pre-Time Zone change: |
Post-Time Zone change: |
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Note that the repeating Test... appointment in the above image is scheduled for 2pm on October 29,
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Note that the repeating Test... appointment in the above image is now scheduled for 3pm on November 5. This appointment is misaligned and will need to be corrected by following the steps below.
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How do I correct this discrepancy?
The steps to correct this misalignment will vary depending on whether you are the meeting organizer or just a participant. If you are NOT the meeting organizer Contact the meeting organizer and advise them to follow the steps below.
- Log into Outlook Web Access and navigate to the Calendar.
- Double-click on the appointment in question. If you see the following banner at the top, click Edit Series.
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Click on the time block to show the event start and end time settings.
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Select the Time zone globe button to show the event time zone settings.
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Set the Start time zone and End time zone to the correct (UTC -7:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia) settings.
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Click Save or Send to confirm the changes. For meetings with attendees, attendees will receive an updated meeting invitation.
How can I be sure that new appointments in my Outlook Web Access Calendar are accurately timed?
VIU IT has deployed a fix that will move all of the University's computers to the new (UTC -7:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia). time zone by default. These instructions are meant only to cover appointments that were scheduled prior to the fix being made available. For these appointments, manual correction as outlined above will be the only fix. More details on how to determine if your computer has the required updates and tips on how to navigate the change can be found in the main article regarding this change located at the link below:
https://ithelp.viu.ca/TDClient/169/ITPortal/KB/Article/16891/Time-Zone-Changes-How-To-Prepare-For-Possible-Discrepancies