On April 1, 2026, Quebec's emergency departments experienced stable but high pressure, with 1,795 patients waiting and a provincial stretcher occupancy rate of 93%. Although the total number of patients in ERs increased slightly from 4,655 to 4,717 throughout the day, the stretcher occupancy saw a minor decrease of 1% compared to the earliest snapshots. Regional disparities remain sharp, with Laval and Nord-du-Québec facing severe overcapacity, while Estrie and Gaspésie remain well below the provincial average.
Critical congestion is centered in the Greater Montréal area and Outaouais. Hôpital de Gatineau and Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé are currently the most impacted facilities, both exceeding 150% stretcher capacity. In contrast, Capital-Nationale and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean maintain manageable occupancy levels below 80%. Healthcare administrators should monitor the Laurentides and Lanaudière regions closely, as both continue to show occupancy rates exceeding 130%.