Earliest sunset in Canada 2026: dates and times by city

The earliest sunset of 2026 in Canada falls between Dec. 8 and Dec. 17, depending on the city, up to two weeks before the Dec. 21 winter solstice. Toronto’s sun sets earliest at 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 8, Vancouver’s at 4:13 p.m. on Dec. 11 and Edmonton’s at 4:13 p.m. on Dec. 12.

Updated Nov. 12, 2026

When is the earliest sunset in each province and territory?

The table lists the earliest sunset of the year, the Dec. 21 sunrise and sunset, the length of daylight that day and the latest sunrise of the winter for 18 cities, with every province and territory covered. All times are local standard time. Sunset in Canada is already earlier than it was a month ago and keeps falling for another few weeks.

Cities in the same province can differ by a few minutes. Victoria sees its earliest sunset at 4:18 p.m., five minutes later than Vancouver, and Calgary at 4:29 p.m. is 16 minutes later than Edmonton. Saskatchewan does not change its clocks, so Regina and Saskatoon sit on Central Standard Time all year, and their sunsets come well after those of Calgary and Edmonton in the same weeks.

When is the shortest day of 2026 in Canada?

The December solstice arrives on Monday, Dec. 21, at about 3:49 p.m. Eastern, which is 12:49 p.m. Pacific and 4:49 p.m. Atlantic. It marks the moment the sun reaches its lowest point in the northern sky, and that day has the fewest hours of daylight of the year. Toronto gets 8 hours and 55 minutes of daylight, Vancouver 8 hours and 11 minutes, Edmonton 7 hours and 27 minutes, Whitehorse 5 hours and 37 minutes, Yellowknife 4 hours and 57 minutes and Iqaluit 4 hours and 20 minutes. Daylight then grows slowly, by only a minute or two a day at first.

Why does the earliest sunset come before the solstice?

The clock time of solar noon, when the sun is highest, drifts later through December because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis and the shape of its orbit. That drift pushes sunsets later at the same moment that the shrinking day pulls them earlier. In early December the shrinking day still wins. About two weeks before the solstice the two effects cancel and sunsets bottom out, then start to come later. Sunrises keep sliding later for another week or two because the same drift now adds to them.

Toronto shows the effect clearly. The sun set at 4:54 p.m. on Nov. 12, reaches its earliest at 4:40 p.m. on Dec. 8 and is back to 4:43 p.m. by Dec. 21. The sunrise on Dec. 21 is 7:48 a.m., and it does not peak until 7:51 a.m. on Jan. 2. The shortest day is therefore not the day with the earliest sunset or the latest sunrise.

How much earlier does the sun set between now and December?

The loss is largest in the north. Toronto’s sunset moves 14 minutes earlier between Nov. 12 and Dec. 8. Edmonton’s moves 27 minutes earlier, from 4:40 p.m. to 4:13 p.m., between Nov. 12 and Dec. 12. In Yellowknife the sun sets at 3:56 p.m. on Nov. 12 and at 3:03 p.m. on Dec. 16, 53 minutes earlier. In Iqaluit it falls from 2:43 p.m. to 1:41 p.m., a loss of 62 minutes.

When does the sun start rising earlier again?

The latest sunrise of the winter comes after the solstice, between Dec. 25 in Yellowknife and Jan. 2 in Toronto and Halifax. Vancouver and Victoria reach it on Dec. 31, Edmonton on Dec. 29, Winnipeg on Dec. 30 and Montreal on Jan. 1. From those dates mornings brighten a little each day, while the evening light has been returning since mid-December.

Why do the times vary so much across the country?

Two things drive the differences: latitude and where a city sits inside its time zone. Farther north means a shorter winter day, which is why Edmonton gets almost an hour and a half less daylight than Toronto on Dec. 21. Time zones are wide, so a city on the western edge of a zone sees sunrise and sunset later on the clock than one on the eastern edge. Regina’s Dec. 21 sunset is 4:57 p.m., 26 minutes later than Calgary’s at 4:31 p.m., even though the two cities are at similar latitudes. For the rules on which provinces change clocks, see our guide to the Nov. 1 clock change. For what the season holds, see our 2026-27 winter forecast by region and the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays by province.

How were these sunset times worked out?

Canada News Media calculated the times for the centre of each city with the solar position equations published by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Solar Calculator details). Sunrise and sunset are the moments the upper edge of the sun meets a flat horizon, with the standard allowance for atmospheric refraction. Hills, mountains and tall buildings change what you see locally, and published almanacs may differ from this table by a minute or two. To check a specific address, use the National Research Council of Canada’s Sun calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the earliest sunset in Canada in 2026?

It depends on the city. Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the Atlantic capitals reach their earliest sunset between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10, the Prairies and B.C. between Dec. 10 and Dec. 12, and the territories between Dec. 15 and Dec. 17.

Is the winter solstice the day with the earliest sunset?

No. In Canada the earliest sunset comes nine to 13 days before the solstice in the south and four to six days before it in the territories. On Dec. 21 the sun sets a few minutes later than it did on the earliest day.

Do sunsets get later after Dec. 21?

Yes. After the earliest sunset in the second week of December, the clock time of sunset moves later each day, while the sunrise keeps getting later until the last days of December or the first days of January.

When does the sunrise start getting earlier in Canada?

The latest sunrise of the winter falls between Dec. 25 in Yellowknife and Jan. 2 in Toronto and Halifax. After that date the sun comes up a little earlier each morning.

Which Canadian city has the earliest sunset on the clock?

Of the 18 cities in this guide, Iqaluit, where the sun sets at 1:41 p.m. on Dec. 17. Yellowknife follows at 3:03 p.m. on Dec. 16, and Quebec City is earliest among the southern cities at 3:56 p.m. on Dec. 10.

Sources: Sunrise, sunset and solstice times calculated by Canada News Media using the NOAA solar equations, in local standard time, and checkable with the National Research Council of Canada Sun calculator. Clock-change rules from our daylight saving time guide.

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