On August 20, 2026, emergency department conditions in Quebec showed a noticeable improvement over the course of the day and a significant decrease in pressure compared to ten days prior, according to historical data from urgencesquebec.com. At the start of the day, there were 1,716 patients waiting and an 80% stretcher occupancy rate across 120 facilities. By the latest snapshot, those numbers dropped to 1,382 patients waiting and a 74% stretcher occupancy rate. This represents a substantial relief compared to August 11, 2026, when there were 1,994 patients waiting (-612) and stretcher occupancy was 15 percentage points higher at 89%.
Despite the overall improvement, critical regional hotspots persist. Laval recorded the highest stretcher occupancy rate at 155%, driven entirely by Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé. Other heavily congested regions included Laurentides (122%), Chaudière-Appalaches (111%), and Montréal (110%). Individually, Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Montérégie had the longest waitlist with 87 patients waiting, followed by Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont in Montréal with 58 waiting and Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé with 57.