2026-07-17 — Daily report — Quebec ER overcrowding eased slightly as waiting patients decreased to 1,186, though severe capacity issues persisted in Laval and Laurentides.

Key Takeaways

•Total waiting patients across Quebec's 120 facilities decreased from 1,283 to 1,186, with overall stretcher occupancy easing slightly from 87% to 84%.

•Laval and the Laurentides regions faced the most severe capacity strains, reporting critical stretcher occupancy rates of 171% and 151% respectively.

•Hôpital de Saint-Eustache in Laurentides was the busiest facility with 46 patients waiting, while Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval struggled with a peak stretcher occupancy of 171%.

According to historical data from urgencesquebec.com, Quebec's emergency rooms experienced a slight easing of pressure over the course of July 17, 2026. The number of patients waiting for care decreased from an early snapshot of 1,283 down to 1,186 by the latest update, while the total number of patients currently in ERs fell from 4,023 to 3,831. Consequently, average provincial stretcher occupancy dropped slightly from 87% to 84%.

Despite the general downward trend, critical overcrowding remains a major issue in several metropolitan areas. Laval led the province with a severe stretcher occupancy rate of 171%, closely followed by Laurentides at 151% and Montérégie at 124%. On an individual hospital level, Hôpital de Saint-Eustache was the most congested with 46 waiting patients, while Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval and Hôpital Anna-Laberge in Montérégie both operated far beyond capacity, recording stretcher occupancy rates of 171% and 163% respectively.