On August 6, 2026, Quebec's emergency departments experienced stable volumes throughout the day, closing with 1,630 patients waiting in registration and 4,094 total patients in ERs, compared to 1,643 waiting and 4,089 total in the morning. However, historical data from urgencesquebec.com reveals a tightening of capacity over the last week; while the number of waiting patients fell slightly by 21 compared to July 31, 2026, the provincial stretcher occupancy rate surged by 11 percentage points from 78% to 89%.
Critical pressure remains heavily concentrated around the Greater Montreal area. Laval registered the highest regional stretcher occupancy at 133%, followed closely by Montérégie at 125% and Montréal at 120%. On a facility level, Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Montérégie was the most congested, with 70 patients waiting, followed by Lanaudière's Hôpital de Lanaudière with 59 waiting.