2026-08-16 — Daily report — Quebec ER stretcher occupancy improves to 73% with 333 fewer waiting patients than 12 days ago, despite ongoing critical surges in Laval and Montreal.

Key Takeaways

•Quebec's overall emergency room stretcher occupancy fell to 73%, a 7 percentage point decrease compared to August 5, 2026.

•Five regions continue to experience severe overcrowding over 100% capacity, led by Laval at 133% and Laurentides at 126%.

•Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé (Laval) and Hôpital général juif (Montréal) remain the most strained facilities, with the Jewish General reaching 185% stretcher occupancy.

On August 16, 2026, Quebec's emergency departments experienced a notable relief in pressure compared to earlier in the month. According to data from urgencesquebec.com, the latest provincial snapshot recorded 1,373 patients waiting to be seen and a stretcher occupancy rate of 73%. This marks a significant improvement from 12 days ago (August 5), with 333 fewer patients waiting and a 7 percentage point decrease in stretcher occupancy. Intraday trends also showed improvement, as patient volume decreased from 1,728 waiting earlier in the day.

Despite the broader provincial decline, several regions remain heavily congested. Laval leads with a critical stretcher occupancy rate of 133%, followed by Laurentides (126%), Montérégie (109%), Montréal (105%), and Chaudière-Appalaches (104%). Individually, Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval reported the highest number of waiting patients (58), while the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal recorded an alarmingly high stretcher occupancy rate of 185%.