2026-07-27 — Daily report — Quebec ER waiting lists jump by 353 patients over five days, with severe stretcher saturation reported across Laval and Montréal.

Key Takeaways

•Provincial stretcher occupancy reached 88%, driven by severe saturation in Laval (161%), Montérégie (137%), and Montréal (123%).

•ER waiting lists grew by 353 patients compared to July 23, signaling a substantial five-day increase in emergency room congestion.

•Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur in Lanaudière had the highest number of waiting patients at 69, while Hôpital général juif recorded the highest stretcher occupancy at 253%.

On July 27, 2026, Quebec's emergency departments experienced heightened pressure, according to historical data from urgencesquebec.com. Across 120 facilities, the number of patients waiting in ERs rose from an early-morning 1,434 to 1,839 by the latest snapshot, with total active cases reaching 4,459 and average stretcher occupancy climbing to 88%. This reflects a notable increase in system strain compared to five days prior (July 23), with 353 additional patients waiting and a 6 percentage point increase in stretcher occupancy.

Regionally, several sectors are operating well over capacity, led by Laval at 161% stretcher occupancy, Montérégie at 137%, and Montréal at 123%. Individual facilities are facing severe bottlenecks; Lanaudière's Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur recorded the highest queue with 69 patients waiting, while Montréal's Hôpital général juif experienced an extreme stretcher occupancy rate of 253%.