According to data from urgencesquebec.com, Quebec’s emergency rooms are seeing a notable upward trend in crowding as of May 6, 2026. Total patients waiting for care increased by 377 compared to ten days ago, with the province-wide stretcher occupancy reaching 101%. While total patient volume in ERs slightly decreased from earlier in the day (from 5,091 to 4,826), overall capacity remains strained across several key health regions.
The situation is particularly acute in Montérégie, Laval, and the Laurentides, where stretcher occupancy rates have surged well above 140%. Top-priority sites include Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne and Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur, which are handling the highest volumes of waiting patients. Conversely, regions like Nord-du-Québec and Bas-Saint-Laurent maintain more stable operational levels with occupancy rates below 65%.