Manitoba won’t ​“fall back” this Sunday, but some computers, calendars and booking tools still might. The province is staying on daylight saving time permanently, so clocks will not revert to standard time on Nov. 1. 

💡 Why it matters: While physicians strongly supported eliminating seasonal time changes, this first seasonal ​“non-change” is creating some IT challenges. Many devices and software systems are programmed to automatically turn clocks back one hour this weekend, potentially affecting appointment schedules, reminders and other time-sensitive systems. 

What’s being done: We’ve contacted Shared Health and several EMR vendors, and we understand they are working hard to ensure appointment times remain accurate. However, success depends on individual devices and software having the appropriate updates installed, and even then, you may need to confirm appointments are set to the right time zone. 

🕒 What to know: As of November 1, Manitoba will remain on Central Daylight Time (CDT), equivalent to UTC−5, rather than switching to Central Standard Time (CST), which is UTC−6.

• Check your time zone settings. Devices and applications must recognize Manitoba’s new permanent time rules. Simply selecting Central Time may not be enough. 
• Avoid changing settings without IT guidance. Selecting another UTC−5 time zone may temporarily display the correct time but create problems with calendars, scheduling and other systems. 

What physicians should do before the weekend:

• Review and save your schedule. Look at next week’s schedule and confirm it looks right. Some apps or devices may display it incorrectly. Print or screenshot next week’s shifts and appointments before Sunday, just in case. 
• Contact your IT lead or vendor. Confirm that EMRs, scheduling applications, computers and mobile devices have the necessary updates, and that updates have been installed. Normally updates are automatically installed when devices are restarted. 
• Check appointment reminders. Ensure automated reminder messages display the correct appointment times. Consider sending a special reminder to patients with their correct appointment time. 
• Prepare for confusion. Some patients or staff may arrive an hour early or late next week. Be ready for this, be kind, and be flexible. 

The big picture: The tech hassle is short-term, but the health effect upsides last. 

• 80% of physicians who answered Doctors Manitoba’s survey agreed it’s time for Manitoba to end seasonal time changes. 
• From 2014 to 2024, Manitoba averaged 10.6 heart attack hospital admissions on the Monday after the fall time change, compared with 8.4 on other Mondays. 

Bottom line: A few proactive checks now can help prevent scheduling errors and disruptions to patient care next week.