Weekly ER Capacity Report — Quebec — May 4 to May 10, 2026

Key Metrics

Provincial average ER capacity: 85.5%

Same week previous year: 81.6%

Previous week: 85.6%

Average patients waiting >24 hours: 4.5 patients

Average patients waiting >48 hours: 1.5 patients

Highest reported capacity during the week: 350%

Lowest reported capacity during the week: 0%

Time Window

This analysis covers the week of May 4 to May 10, 2026.

For context, the data are compared with the immediately preceding week, April 27 to May 3, 2026, and the same calendar week one year earlier, May 4 to May 10, 2025.

Provincial Overview

Emergency departments across Quebec reported slightly higher average capacity during the week of May 4 to May 10, 2026, compared with the same week in 2025.

Across reporting facilities, the provincial average emergency department capacity was 85.5%, up from 81.6% during the comparable week last year. That represents an increase of 3.9 percentage points.

Measures associated with longer emergency department stays were comparatively steady. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours was 4.5, compared with 4.4 one year earlier. The average number waiting more than 48 hours was 1.5, unchanged from the same week in 2025.

Overall, the provincial figures point to a slightly higher reported operational load than last year, while prolonged-stay indicators remained close to their previous-year levels.

Week-Over-Week Change

Compared with the immediately preceding week, the provincial average was essentially flat. Average capacity moved from 85.6% during April 27 to May 3, 2026, to 85.5% during May 4 to May 10, 2026, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points.

The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours remained at 4.5. The average number waiting more than 48 hours increased slightly, from 1.4 to 1.5.

These short-term changes are best understood as week-to-week operational variation rather than evidence of a broader structural shift.

Regional Standouts

Regional results were mixed. Some areas reported lower average capacity than the same week in 2025, while others recorded higher levels.

Regions Reporting Lower Average Capacity

Outaouais recorded one of the largest year-over-year decreases in average capacity, falling from 88.3% in 2025 to 76.4% in 2026. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours rose from 3.9 to 4.4, while the average waiting more than 48 hours declined slightly, from 1.6 to 1.5.

Estrie also reported lower average capacity, moving from 76.3% to 65.0%. In that region, prolonged-stay indicators declined: patients waiting more than 24 hours fell from 3.1 to 1.9, and those waiting more than 48 hours fell from 1.0 to 0.6.

Montérégie moved from 123.6% to 115.2%. Its prolonged-stay indicators also decreased, with the average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours moving from 14.6 to 10.1, and the average waiting more than 48 hours moving from 5.8 to 2.9.

Regions Reporting Higher Average Capacity

Chaudière-Appalaches reported the largest year-over-year increase in average capacity, rising from 98.0% to 126.1%. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours increased from 4.5 to 5.8, while the average waiting more than 48 hours moved from 0.9 to 1.0.

Côte-Nord increased from 57.4% to 81.2%. The region’s average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours rose from 0.6 to 2.1, and the average waiting more than 48 hours increased from 0.1 to 0.8.

Lanaudière increased from 94.3% to 115.1%. Its average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours rose from 3.8 to 9.4, while the average waiting more than 48 hours moved from 0.2 to 0.9.

Data Coverage

The current-week analysis includes emergency department reporting across Quebec for May 4 to May 10, 2026.

Coverage for the current week includes:

Regions with current records: 16

Emergency department installations: 115

Total records analyzed: 19,305

The prior-week comparison includes:

Emergency department installations: 115

Total records analyzed: 19,312

The same-week 2025 comparison includes:

Emergency department installations: 114

Total records analyzed: 8,952

The dataset was complete for the regional summaries retrieved for this analysis. One listed Quebec region had no reporting installations in the current dataset, and Nord-du-Québec had current-week records but no matching records in the same 2025 comparison period.

Methodology

This article summarizes reported emergency department operational metrics across Quebec for the current week, the immediately preceding week, and the same calendar week in 2025.

Provincial averages are calculated as record-weighted means across reporting regions and installations. Reported maximum and minimum capacity values represent the highest and lowest readings recorded anywhere in Quebec during the analyzed week.

Capacity percentages and prolonged-stay counts represent reported operational load only and should not be interpreted as measures of clinical safety.

Informational Use Statement

This summary is based on publicly reported emergency department data and is provided for informational purposes only.