During week 33 of 2026, Quebec's emergency departments experienced a mild overall improvement in wait times and occupancy. The week started with 1,527 patients waiting and 3,697 in ERs, but closed with those figures dropping to 1,373 and 3,404, respectively. Average stretcher occupancy also decreased slightly from 75% to 73% across the 120 tracked facilities.
Despite the general downward trend, severe localized overcrowding remains a critical concern. Laval led the province with a staggering regional stretcher occupancy of 133%, while Laurentides (126%), Montérégie (109%), Montréal (105%), and Chaudière-Appalaches (104%) also significantly exceeded maximum capacity. Conversely, regions like Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec and Nord-du-Québec reported virtually no waitlists and highly manageable stretcher loads.
At the institutional level, Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé in Laval recorded the highest waiting volume with 58 individuals. Other critical pressure points include Montréal's Hôpital général juif, which reached an extreme stretcher occupancy of 185% with 50 waiting, and Hôpital de Saint-Jérôme in the Laurentides with 50 waiting and 106% stretcher occupancy.