2026-05-05 — Daily report — Quebec ER occupancy nears 100% capacity with a 22-point surge in stretcher use over the past 11 days.

Key Takeaways

•Stretcher occupancy has surged by 22 percentage points over the last 11 days, reaching 98% province-wide.

•Laval and Montreal are under extreme pressure, reporting occupancy rates of 178% and 129% respectively.

•Total patients waiting for a physician increased significantly from 1,116 to 1,785 compared to late April.

According to historical data from urgencesquebec.com, Quebec's emergency departments are experiencing high levels of congestion as of May 5, 2026. Stretcher occupancy has reached 98% province-wide, a significant escalation from 76% just 11 days ago. Key urban centers are at critical capacity, with Laval’s Cité-de-la-Santé and Montreal's CHUM reporting dangerous occupancy spikes at 178% and 210% respectively.

Current figures show 1,785 patients waiting for treatment out of over 5,000 total in ERs, representing a substantial increase of 669 waiting patients since April 25. While Nord-du-Québec remains relatively calm with 25% occupancy, regions such as Laurentides and Montérégie are facing severe overcrowding with stretcher rates well above 130%. Hôpital du Haut-Richelieu is currently the busiest facility in terms of sheer volume waiting.