Weekly ER Capacity Report — Quebec — 2026-03-09 to 2026-03-15
Emergency department data across Quebec showed lower overall crowding compared with the same week one year earlier, though several regions continued to report sustained operational pressure.
Key Metrics
Provincial average ER capacity: 86.8%
Same week previous year: 95.8%
Average patients waiting >24 hours: 4.8
Average patients waiting >48 hours: 1.7
Highest reported capacity during the week: 280%
Lowest reported capacity during the week: 0%
Time Window
This analysis covers:
Current week: 2026-03-09 → 2026-03-15
Comparisons:
Previous week: 2026-03-02 → 2026-03-08
Same week last year: 2025-03-10 → 2025-03-16
Provincial Overview
Emergency departments across Quebec reported lower overall crowding during the week of 2026-03-09 to 2026-03-15 compared with the same week one year earlier.
Across all reporting regions, the provincial average emergency department capacity was 86.8%, compared with 95.8% during the same week in 2025.
Indicators associated with prolonged emergency department stays also declined year over year. The average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours was 4.8, compared with 5.9 during the comparison week last year.
The average number of patients waiting more than 48 hours was 1.7, compared with 2.0 during the same week in 2025.
Taken together, these indicators suggest lower overall emergency department crowding compared with the same period last year, though operational pressure remained uneven across regions.
Week-Over-Week Change
Comparing the week of 2026-03-09 to 2026-03-15 with the immediately preceding week (2026-03-02 to 2026-03-08) shows a modest increase in overall crowding.
The provincial average ER capacity increased to 86.8% from 80.9% during the previous week.
During the same period:
Patients waiting >24 hours: 4.5 → 4.8
Patients waiting >48 hours: 1.7 → 1.7
Short week-to-week changes should be interpreted as normal operational variation rather than structural system changes.
Regional Standouts
While many regions reported lower average capacity 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
Outaouais
Average capacity: 77.8%
Previous year: 99.6%
The region also reported fewer prolonged stays, with the average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours declining to 4.2, compared with 7.2 during the same week in 2025.
Laurentides
Average capacity: 117.3%
Previous year: 138.0%
Average patients waiting more than 24 hours also declined from 11.4 to 5.8.
Other regions showing year-over-year improvement included Chaudière-Appalaches and Montérégie, both of which reported lower average capacity compared with the same week last year.
Regions With Increased Pressure
Lanaudière reported the most notable year-over-year increase in average capacity.
Capacity increased from 107.8% in 2025 to 131.5% during the week analyzed.
The region also reported an increase in prolonged stays, with the average number of patients waiting more than 24 hours rising from 7.7 to 14.2.
Elsewhere, several regions reported relatively stable year-over-year conditions, including Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec and Côte-Nord, where average capacity remained close to the previous year’s level.
Mixed Signals
Some regions reported improvement compared with last year while still experiencing elevated operational load.
For example, Montérégie, Laurentides, and Montréal all reported lower average capacity than the previous year but continued to operate near or above full capacity during the analyzed week.
Laval remained among the most pressured regions, reporting average capacity of 155.8% and 18.1 patients waiting more than 24 hours on average.
This variation highlights how emergency department pressure can shift across regions even when provincial averages move in one direction.
Data Coverage
This analysis includes emergency department reporting across Quebec administrative health regions.
Coverage for 2026-03-09 to 2026-03-15 includes:
Regions analyzed: 17
Emergency department installations: 115
Total records analyzed: 14,543
Comparison period 2025-03-10 to 2025-03-16:
Installations: 114
Records analyzed: 6,452
Note: Public reporting updates from Quebec’s health ministry were temporarily paused for several days during the analyzed week. As a result, emergency departments across the province reported fewer updates during that interval. Provincial averages and other metrics in this report were calculated using all available records during the reporting period.
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 reporting 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.