On April 18, 2026, Quebec's emergency departments showed a slight improvement compared to data from April 6, with the total number of patients waiting dropping to 1,641 and the stretcher occupancy rate falling by 9 percentage points to 78%. According to historical data from urgencesquebec.com, there are currently 3,922 patients in ERs across 116 facilities. While overall provincial numbers are trending downward, several regions continue to face significant pressure.
The metropolitan regions of Montreal and Montérégie report the highest volume of waiting patients, while the most acute saturation is seen in Laval (137%) and Laurentides (136%). High-traffic facilities like Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne and Hôpital Royal Victoria remain under significant strain, with the latter operating at more than double its stretcher capacity. Conversely, regions such as Nord-du-Québec and Gaspésie report much lower occupancy levels, indicating a sharp discrepancy in service demand across the province.