2026-07-19 — Daily report — Quebec's emergency departments saw a 12% decrease in waiting patients over the day, though severe stretcher overcrowding persists in Laval, Montérégie, and Montréal.

Key Takeaways

•Overall ER patient volume declined over the day, with waiting patients dropping by 12% from 1,400 to 1,231.

•Montérégie and Montréal recorded the highest number of waiting patients at 212 and 198 respectively, while Laval faced the highest regional stretcher occupancy rate at 135%.

•Hôpital Pierre-Boucher in Montérégie was the busiest individual facility with 47 patients waiting, followed by Laval's Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé with 40.

On July 19, 2026, Quebec’s emergency room situation showed a general improvement over the course of the day, according to historical data from urgencesquebec.com. Across 120 tracked facilities, the total number of patients waiting for care decreased from 1,400 in the earliest snapshot to 1,231 in the latest, while total patients in the ER fell from 3,782 to 3,557. Average stretcher occupancy also saw a minor decrease, dropping from 76% to 74% over 23 snapshots.

Despite this downward trend, several regions struggled with severe overcrowding. Laval recorded the highest stretcher occupancy at 135%, driven by Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé. Montérégie had the largest volume of waiting patients at 212 (115% stretcher occupancy), closely followed by Montréal with 198 waiting patients and a 105% stretcher occupancy rate.