Report Says Wait Times in Quebec Emergency Rooms Were 11 Minutes Shorter Last Year
The report cites a lack of personnel as the main cause, while four regions posted median stays of six to eight hours.
- On Thursday, the Montreal Economic Institute reported that patients in Quebec emergency rooms waited an average of 5 hours and 12 minutes last year.
- Wait times vary significantly across the province, with Laval, the Laurentians, the Montérégie, and Montreal recording the longest median stays of between six and eight hours.
- Despite an 11-minute improvement from the previous year, median wait times have increased by 41 minutes since 2018, with the report citing staff shortages as a primary cause.
- Renaud Brossard, vice president of communications at the MEI, proposed expanding 'immediate care centers' to handle minor emergencies and relieve pressure on hospital departments.
- For many residents lacking a family doctor, the emergency room remains the primary gateway into the healthcare system, leaving recent improvements with limited real-world effect.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Quebec Median ER Wait Times Up 41 Minutes Since 2018, Exceeded 14 Hours at One Hospital: Report
Quebec emergency room patients are waiting longer than they did several years ago, with the provincial median ER stay increasing by 41 minutes since 2018 and exceeding 14 hours at one Montreal hospital this year, according to a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI). The report examines wait times at 115 emergency rooms across the province, using data from the Quebec Health Ministry for the 2025–26 fiscal year. It found that the m…
However, it has worsened by 41 minutes since 2018. In Laval, half of the stays were more than 8 hours.
ER wait times in Quebec improved slightly in 2025
The median length of stay in the emergency room was 5 hours and 12 minutes last year in Quebec, according to a report by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) released Thursday. This represents a slight improvement of 11 minutes compared to the previous year. “That’s still 11 minutes less than the typical patient has to […]
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