Quebec's emergency departments experienced rising pressure during the week ending September 7, 2026 (Week 37). Over the course of the week, the total number of patients waiting in ERs grew from 1,127 to 1,162, while the overall number of patients actively in ERs increased to 3,551. This upward trend was mirrored by a five-percentage-point increase in average stretcher occupancy, which climbed from 79% at the start of the week to 84% by the end across the province's 120 monitored facilities.
Major urban centers continue to bear the brunt of the congestion. Laval led the province in regional strain, with its sole facility, Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé, registering 54 waiting patients and a 151% stretcher occupancy rate. Other highly congested regions included Chaudière-Appalaches at 134% stretcher occupancy, Montérégie at 127%, and Montréal at 124%. Conversely, Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec recorded an anomalous zero patients waiting and 0% stretcher occupancy, indicating a rare quiet week or a reporting variance.
At the institutional level, several hotspots stood out. While Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé had the absolute highest number of patients waiting, Montréal's Hôpital Royal Victoria suffered from the most severe overcrowding with a staggering 248% stretcher occupancy rate. Meanwhile, the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Saguenay's Hôpital de Chicoutimi, and Montérégie's Hôpital Pierre-Boucher all tied for the second-longest waitlist, with 39 patients waiting at each facility.