ER capacity rebounds in Laval while falling sharply in Outaouais

Quebec's provincial ER capacity changed relatively little during the week of September 21–27, 2026, but the province-wide average concealed much larger movements in opposite directions across regions.

In Laval, average reported ER capacity rose from 136.3% to 160.3%, an increase of 24.0 percentage points from the previous week. In the Outaouais, it moved sharply the other way, falling from 88.1% to 68.0%, a decrease of 20.1 points.

By comparison, the record-weighted provincial average moved from approximately 85.5% to 83.8%, a change of just 1.7 percentage points.

A split regional picture

The contrast between Laval and Outaouais was part of a broader pattern in which Quebec's regions moved in different directions rather than following a common provincial trend.

Among the 15 regions with comparable weekly data, eight recorded lower average capacity than the previous week and seven recorded higher capacity.

Côte-Nord was among the regions moving higher, with average capacity increasing from 62.1% to 68.2%. Laurentides moved from 130.4% to 124.1%, while Montérégie declined from 124.3% to 118.8%.

Those changes were considerably smaller than the swings recorded in Laval and Outaouais, making the two regions the clearest examples of how much variation was hidden behind the relatively stable provincial average.

Laval and Outaouais reverse recent movement

The latest changes also stand out because both regions reversed their immediately preceding direction.

Laval's weekly average had fallen from 160.7% to 136.3% before climbing back to 160.3% in the latest week. Looking across the five weeks examined, its average has ranged from approximately 136% to 164%, showing considerable week-to-week variation.

Outaouais followed the opposite pattern. Its weekly average had climbed from 76.5% to 77.6%, 81.1% and then 88.1% before falling to 68.0% in the latest period.

That makes this week's largest regional moves better described as sharp reversals than as evidence of sustained trends.

Meanwhile, measures of prolonged stays changed comparatively little at the provincial level. The average number of patients reported present for more than 24 hours was approximately 5.05 per observation, compared with 4.93 the previous week, while the average for patients present more than 48 hours was approximately 1.79, compared with 1.75.

Taken together, the data point to a week in which the most meaningful changes occurred regionally rather than in the Quebec-wide averages.

About the data

This analysis covers reported Quebec emergency department data from September 21 through September 27, 2026, compared with September 14 through September 20, 2026. Fifteen of Quebec's 16 regions had data available for direct week-over-week comparison, and 107 of 119 listed ER installations contributed observations.

A six-hour reporting gap is visible in the September 23 data, so small province-wide differences should be interpreted cautiously. Provincial averages are calculated across the retrieved hourly observations, while regional comparisons use the corresponding weekly regional averages.

Capacity and prolonged-stay figures describe reported operational conditions. They do not measure the quality or safety of care.

This article is based on publicly reported healthcare data and is provided for informational purposes only.