2026-08-05 — Daily report — Quebec emergency departments see stretcher occupancy rise to 80% amid severe overcrowding in Laval, Laurentides, and Montérégie.

Key Takeaways

•Quebec's overall ER stretcher occupancy rose to 80% with 1,706 patients waiting, a 9 percentage point increase compared to four days prior.

•Laval, Laurentides, and Montérégie are experiencing the most severe overcrowding, with stretcher occupancy rates reaching 137%, 129%, and 122% respectively.

•Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montréal is the busiest facility with 61 patients waiting, followed closely by Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Montérégie with 59.

On August 5, 2026, Quebec’s emergency departments faced increased pressure, with the latest snapshot showing 1,706 patients waiting and 4,184 registered in ERs across 120 facilities. According to historical data from urgencesquebec.com, the average stretcher occupancy rate reached 80%, marking a noticeable rise from 71% recorded four days ago on August 2, 2026, when 1,447 patients were waiting.

The regional breakdown reveals critical bottlenecks in metropolitan areas. Laval reported the highest stretcher occupancy at 137%, followed closely by Laurentides at 129% and Montérégie at 122%. Montréal recorded the highest total volume of waiting patients at 335. At the facility level, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (Montréal) and Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne (Montérégie) were the state's most congested sites, reporting 61 and 59 waiting patients respectively.