Quebec's emergency rooms experienced a modest reduction in patient volumes and stretcher pressure during the week ending August 17, 2026. Across 120 monitored facilities, the total number of patients waiting fell from 1,253 at the start of the week to 1,191 by the end. Similarly, the total number of patients currently in emergency departments dropped from 3,224 to 3,050, helping to bring provincial stretcher occupancy down from 73% to 69%.
Despite the encouraging provincial trend, localized congestion remains severe. Laval, represented by Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé, reported a critical stretcher occupancy of 171% alongside 57 patients waiting. Other suburban and metropolitan areas also faced high demand; the Laurentides region recorded 108% stretcher occupancy, and Montréal sat at 104%. These figures stand in stark contrast to quieter regions such as Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec, which registered zero patients waiting by week-end.
At the institutional level, pressure is concentrated in a handful of high-volume hospitals. Hôpital de Saint-Jérôme in the Laurentides and Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne in Montérégie both managed heavy influxes with 54 and 53 waiting patients respectively. Meanwhile, Hôpital général juif in Montréal joined Laval's major hospital at the top of the congestion list, reporting a staggering stretcher occupancy rate of 170%.