News
Quebec ER capacity averaged 83.0% during Aug. 10–16 reporting period
Quebec emergency departments included in ERInfo data reported an average capacity of 83.0% from August 10 to 16, 2026, slightly above the previous week but below the provincial average recorded in the 2025 comparison period.
The provincial figures point to relatively limited movement in overall capacity from week to week, while indicators for prolonged emergency department stays moved somewhat higher.
Key Metrics
Provincial average ER capacity: 83.0%
Previous week: 82.5%
August 10–16, 2025: 85.2%
Average patients waiting more than 24 hours: 4.7
Average patients waiting more than 48 hours: 1.7
Highest reported capacity during the week: 261% — Hôpital Glen (Montréal)
Time Window
The current analysis covers August 10 to 16, 2026.
The week-over-week comparison covers August 3 to 9, 2026, while the year-over-year comparison covers August 10 to 16, 2025.
Provincial Overview
Across the emergency departments reporting during the current period, the record-weighted provincial average capacity stood at 83.0%.
That was 0.5 percentage points higher than the 82.5% average calculated for August 3 to 9. Compared with the 85.2% average in the August 10–16, 2025 dataset, the current figure was 2.2 percentage points lower.
Prolonged-stay indicators moved in the opposite direction. An average of 4.7 patients per record had been in the emergency department for more than 24 hours, compared with 4.3 during the previous week and 4.2 during the 2025 comparison period.
For stays exceeding 48 hours, the current average was 1.7 patients, compared with 1.5 the previous week and 1.4 in the year-earlier dataset.
These figures describe reported operational load and do not indicate clinical safety or quality of care.
Week-over-Week Change
The provincial capacity average increased modestly between the two consecutive seven-day periods, from 82.5% to 83.0%.
The average number of patients with stays exceeding 24 hours rose by 0.4, while the average for stays exceeding 48 hours increased by 0.2.
Regional movement was mixed. Some areas reported higher average capacity while others moved lower, illustrating that a small change in the provincial average can include considerably different patterns across Quebec.
Short-term changes should be interpreted as observations of reported operational conditions during these periods rather than evidence of a longer-term structural trend.
Regional Standouts
Among regions with data available in both the current and year-earlier periods, several recorded notable changes in average capacity.
Lanaudière declined from 110.1% to 95.1%, a decrease of 15.0 percentage points. Chaudière-Appalaches declined from 120.7% to 107.6%, a decrease of 13.1 points, while Outaouais moved from 102.6% to 92.4%, down 10.2 points.
Other regions moved higher. Laurentides increased from 103.0% to 124.9%, a change of 21.9 percentage points. Abitibi-Témiscamingue rose from 55.8% to 70.9%, an increase of 15.1 points, and Laval increased from 135.5% to 148.4%, up 12.9 points.
These regional comparisons describe changes in reported capacity only and should not be interpreted as rankings of facilities or measures of clinical safety.
Data Coverage
The August 10–16, 2026 dataset contains 16,148 records from 107 reporting emergency department installations across 15 regions.
The preceding week contains 14,845 records from 107 installations, also across 15 reporting regions.
The August 10–16, 2025 comparison contains 13,108 records from 114 installations across 15 regions.
The provincial geographic coverage is not complete on a like-for-like basis. No records were available for Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec in either of the 2026 periods analyzed, although the region was represented in the 2025 comparison. Conversely, Nord-du-Québec contributed records in the current 2026 dataset but had no records in the 2025 comparison period.
As a result, the year-over-year provincial averages describe the records available in each period but should not be interpreted as a comparison of an identical set of regions and installations.
Methodology
Provincial averages were calculated as record-weighted means across reporting emergency department installations. Each reporting record therefore contributes equally to the provincial average rather than each region receiving equal weight.
The current-period average is based on 16,148 records. The previous-week average uses 14,845 records, and the year-over-year comparison uses 13,108 records.
The highest reported capacity figure represents the highest reading recorded anywhere in Quebec during the August 10–16 period. The peak was 261% at Hôpital Glen in Montréal.
Capacity percentages and prolonged-stay counts represent reported operational load only and are not measures of clinical safety.
Informational Use Statement
This summary is based on publicly reported emergency department data and is provided for informational purposes only.