Weekly ER Capacity Report — Quebec — March 1 to March 7, 2026

Time Window

This analysis covers the week of March 1 to March 7, 2026, with comparisons to:

• The same week in the previous year: March 1 to March 7, 2025
• The previous week: February 22 to February 28, 2026

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By the Numbers

Provincial average ER capacity: 81.4% Same week in 2025: 95.1%

Average patients waiting more than 24 hours: 4.5 Average patients waiting more than 48 hours: 1.7

Highest reported capacity during the week: 280%

Regions analyzed: 17 Emergency department installations included: 115

Total records analyzed

• 2026 week: 19,169
• 2025 comparison week: 19,136

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Quebec ER Capacity Eased in Early March

Emergency departments across Quebec reported lower overall crowding during the first week of March 2026 compared with the same week one year earlier, according to a province-wide analysis of hospital reporting data.

Across all reporting regions, the provincial average emergency department capacity during March 1 to March 7, 2026 was 81.4%, compared with 95.1% during the same week in 2025.

Indicators associated with prolonged emergency department stays also declined.

The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours fell from 5.8 in the 2025 comparison week to 4.5 in the 2026 week. The average number waiting more than 48 hours declined from 2.1 to 1.7.

Taken together, these metrics suggest that emergency departments experienced somewhat lighter operational load overall compared with early March last year.

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Week-Over-Week Change From Late February

Comparing the week of March 1–7, 2026 with the immediately preceding week (February 22–28, 2026) shows that emergency department pressure eased modestly in several high-volume regions.

In Montréal, which includes the largest number of emergency departments in Quebec, the average reported capacity declined from 115.4% to 107.4%.

During the same period:

• The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours declined from 10.7 to 9.6
• The average number waiting more than 48 hours declined from 4.3 to 3.9

These changes indicate a moderate reduction in operational pressure between the two weeks, although capacity levels in several installations remained above 100%.

Short-term week-to-week changes should be interpreted as normal operational variation rather than structural shifts in system performance.

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Regional Standouts

While many regions reported lower average capacity levels compared with the same week in 2025, several regions stood out for either notable improvements or localized increases in pressure.

Largest Year-Over-Year Improvements

Laurentides and Montérégie recorded some of the largest declines in average capacity.

Laurentides

• 2026 average capacity: 108.6%
• Same week in 2025: 136.3%

Montérégie

• 2026 average capacity: 110.4%
• Same week in 2025: 138.0%

Both regions also reported lower averages for patients remaining in care longer than 24 hours, indicating fewer prolonged stays compared with the previous year.

Other regions reporting lower average capacity than the same week in 2025 included:

• Abitibi-Témiscamingue
• Estrie
• Côte-Nord
• Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec

Regions With Increased Pressure

Not every region followed the same pattern.

Laval reported higher average emergency department capacity than the same week in 2025, rising from 150.7% to 161.2%.

The region also reported increases in prolonged stays:

Patients waiting more than 24 hours

• 2026: 23.1
• 2025: 15.3

Patients waiting more than 48 hours

• 2026: 7.3
• 2025: 2.1

Lanaudière also reported higher average capacity than the previous year, increasing from 106.9% to 115.4%, accompanied by increases in prolonged stays.

Mixed Signals in Some Regions

In regions such as Capitale-Nationale and Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec, overall capacity levels were lower than in the previous year, but some prolonged-stay indicators increased.

These mixed patterns highlight how emergency department pressure can shift between regions even when the provincial trend shows improvement.

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Data Coverage

This analysis includes emergency department reporting from all Quebec administrative health regions.

Coverage for the March 1–7, 2026 week includes:

• 17 regions
• 115 emergency department installations
• 19,169 reported records

The comparison week of March 1–7, 2025 included:

• 114 reporting installations
• 19,136 reported records

One region — Nord-du-Québec — reported data during the 2026 week but had no reporting records during the same week in 2025, resulting in slightly different installation coverage between the two periods.

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Methodology

This article summarizes reported emergency department operational metrics across Quebec for two matching seven-day periods and the preceding week.

Provincial averages were calculated as record-weighted means across all reported records from participating emergency departments.

Reported maximum and minimum capacity values represent the highest and lowest capacity readings recorded anywhere in the province 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.

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Informational Use Statement

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