On August 8, 2026, Quebec’s emergency rooms faced elevated pressure with 1,717 patients waiting and a provincial stretcher occupancy rate of 83% at the latest snapshot. According to historical data from urgencesquebec.com, this represents a moderate increase compared to July 31, 2026 (nine days prior), where the number of waiting patients rose by 66 and stretcher occupancy climbed by 5 percentage points. Several regions are experiencing critical overcapacity, most notably Laurentides at 127% stretcher occupancy, Montérégie at 111%, Laval at 108%, and Montréal at 107%.
At the institutional level, Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Montérégie was the busiest facility in the province with 75 patients waiting. Other highly congested centers include Hôpital du Haut-Richelieu, operating at a severe 130% stretcher capacity with 56 waiting, and Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval with 54 waiting. Conversely, Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec reported zero waiting patients, indicating potential reporting anomalies.