when are winter tires required in bc

Winter tires are required on most highways in British Columbia from October 1 to March 31. For select highways in mountainous or high snowfall areas, the requirement extends until April 30. These routes are marked with signs, and vehicles not equipped with winter tires or chains on these routes can be fined. Winter tires must have either the M+S (mud and snow) or mountain/snowflake symbol with a minimum tread depth of 3.5 millimeters. Some Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island highways are exempt due to their more temperate climate, but many important routes including mountain passes do require winter tires in this period.