Based on data from urgencesquebec.com, Quebec's emergency departments are experiencing high pressure today, July 3rd, 2026. While the total number of patients waiting (801) has decreased by 298 compared to June 20th, the stretcher occupancy rate has climbed significantly by 11 percentage points to reach 84%. Throughout the day, occupancy rose from an initial 80% to 84%, indicating increasing congestion as the day progressed across the 120 monitored facilities.
Regional disparities are stark, with Montreal, Montérégie, and Laval exceeding 100% stretcher capacity, while regions like Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec remain relatively clear. The Hôpital Royal Victoria in Montreal is particularly strained, reporting a 212% stretcher occupancy rate. Conversely, the total number of patients in ERs (2999) has remained relatively stable compared to the 14-day benchmark, suggesting that while volume is steady, the acuity or boarding time for stretcher patients remains a critical bottleneck.