Week 29 of 2026 saw a divergence in ER metrics across Quebec's 120 reporting facilities. While the total number of patients in emergency departments fell from 3,843 at the start of the week to 3,557 at the end, and overall stretcher occupancy eased from a heavy 83% down to 74%, the total number of patients actively waiting to be seen rose from 1,160 to 1,231. This suggests that while inpatient flow or discharge rates may have temporarily improved stretcher capacity, front-door registration pressures remain intense.
Major urban and suburban regions continue to bear the brunt of the congestion. Laval led the province with a critical 135% stretcher occupancy rate at Hôpital de la Cité-de-la-Santé, which had 40 patients waiting. Montérégie and Chaudière-Appalaches also significantly exceeded their nominal capacities, reporting 115% and 112% stretcher occupancy respectively. In contrast, peripheral regions like Nord-du-Québec (10% occupancy) and Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec (0% occupancy) experienced virtually no stretcher pressure.
Individual hospital data highlights extreme localized bottlenecks. Hôpital Pierre-Boucher in Montérégie was the busiest facility by volume with 47 patients waiting. Meanwhile, extreme stretcher occupancy rates were recorded at the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal (174% occupancy, 36 waiting) and Hôpital de Hull in Outaouais (160% occupancy, 34 waiting), indicating that several major trauma centers are operating under highly congested conditions.