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Weekly ER Capacity Report — Quebec — July 27 to August 2, 2026
Quebec’s record-weighted average emergency department capacity increased compared with both the preceding week and the same calendar dates in 2025, while regional results and reporting coverage varied.
Key Metrics
Provincial average ER capacity: 81.3%
Previous week: 79.3%
Same period in 2025: 79.3%
Average patients waiting more than 24 hours: 4.4 patients
Average patients waiting more than 48 hours: 1.5 patients
Highest reported capacity reading: 300%
Time Window
The current analysis covers July 27 to August 2, 2026.
Comparisons were made with:
- Previous week: July 20 to July 26, 2026
- Same calendar dates last year: July 27 to August 2, 2025
Provincial Overview
Emergency departments reporting data across Quebec recorded higher average capacity during the week of July 27 to August 2, 2026, compared with both the preceding week and the same calendar dates one year earlier.
The provincial record-weighted average capacity was 81.3%, compared with 79.3% during the previous week and 79.3% from July 27 to August 2, 2025. This represents an increase of 2.0 percentage points in both comparisons.
Indicators associated with prolonged emergency department stays showed a mixed week-over-week pattern. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours increased from 4.3 to 4.4 patients, while the average waiting more than 48 hours declined from 1.6 to 1.5 patients.
Compared with the same period in 2025, the average number waiting more than 24 hours increased from 3.7 to 4.4 patients. The average number waiting more than 48 hours increased from 1.2 to 1.5 patients.
Taken together, the figures indicate higher reported capacity and higher prolonged-stay counts than in the year-earlier period. These measures describe reported operational load and do not indicate clinical safety or quality of care.
Week-Over-Week Change
Comparing July 27 to August 2 with the immediately preceding week shows an overall increase in average capacity of 2.0 percentage points.
Regional movements varied. Outaouais increased from 75.1% to 93.8%, while Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean rose from 56.6% to 69.7%. Abitibi-Témiscamingue increased from 53.9% to 63.6%.
Other regions moved lower. Côte-Nord declined from 67.8% to 56.9%, and Laval declined from 150.0% to 139.1%.
Short-term changes can reflect variation across the reporting week and should not, by themselves, be interpreted as evidence of a lasting system-wide shift.
Regional Standouts
Regional year-over-year comparisons were limited to regions with reported data in both periods.
Largest Year-Over-Year Decreases
Côte-Nord recorded the largest reduction in average capacity, declining from 67.3% to 56.9%, a change of −10.4 percentage points.
Despite the lower average capacity, its prolonged-stay measures moved slightly higher. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours increased from 1.0 to 1.3, while the average waiting more than 48 hours increased from 0.3 to 0.4.
Bas-Saint-Laurent recorded the second-largest decline, from 58.1% to 54.1%, a reduction of 4.0 percentage points. Its average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours declined from 0.3 to 0.1, while the average over 48 hours remained unchanged.
Largest Year-Over-Year Increases
Montérégie recorded the largest increase among regions with comparable data. Its average capacity rose from 109.3% to 124.6%, an increase of 15.3 percentage points.
The region’s average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours increased from 8.9 to 12.3, while the average waiting more than 48 hours increased from 2.7 to 4.6.
Chaudière-Appalaches recorded the second-largest increase, rising from 93.4% to 106.6%, a change of 13.2 percentage points. Its average over-24-hour count changed from 5.0 to 5.1, while the over-48-hour average declined from 1.3 to 1.2.
Mixed Regional Patterns
Several regions showed different movements across the capacity and prolonged-stay measures. For example, the Laurentides reported slightly lower average capacity than one year earlier, declining from 123.3% to 121.0%, while its averages for patients waiting more than 24 and 48 hours both increased.
This variation shows that reported capacity and prolonged stays do not always move in the same direction.
Data Coverage
Coverage for July 27 to August 2, 2026 included:
- Reporting regions: 15
- Emergency department installations: 107
- Records analyzed: 16,884
Coverage for July 20 to July 26, 2026 included:
- Reporting regions: 15
- Emergency department installations: 107
- Records analyzed: 17,538
Coverage for July 27 to August 2, 2025 included:
- Reporting regions: 15
- Emergency department installations: 114
- Records analyzed: 11,969
The retrieval included all records returned for each specified date range. Coverage differed between periods because the number and regional distribution of reporting installations were not identical.
The comparison is not based on a fixed group of installations. Montréal included 17 installations in the current period and 21 installations in the year-earlier period. Nord-du-Québec had current-period records but no records in the year-earlier period, while Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec had year-earlier records but no current regional summary.
Differences in installation coverage and reporting frequency should be considered when interpreting the provincial year-over-year comparison.
Methodology
Provincial averages were calculated as record-weighted means across all reporting installations.
Capacity, patients waiting more than 24 hours, and patients waiting more than 48 hours were analyzed. Calculated provincial values were rounded to one decimal place, and reported changes were calculated from those one-decimal values.
All valid retrieved capacity readings remained included in the calculations, including readings not displayed separately among the key metrics.
The maximum capacity figure represents the highest individual reading reported anywhere in the retrieved Quebec dataset during the current week. The maximum of 300% was independently verified, with no readings above that level.
Regional year-over-year standouts were determined from changes in each region’s average capacity and included only regions with data in both periods.
Capacity percentages and prolonged-stay counts represent reported operational load only. They should not be interpreted as measures of clinical safety or the quality of care.
Informational Use Statement
This summary is based on publicly reported emergency department data and is provided for informational purposes only.