Prolonged ER stays rise across most Quebec regions in September

The average number of patients spending more than 24 or 48 hours in Quebec emergency departments increased in September compared with August, alongside a rise in average ER capacity.

Across the 15 regions with comparable data for both full calendar months, average reported capacity rose from 81.4% in August to 84.5% in September, an increase of 3.1 percentage points.

Prolonged stays increased more in relative terms. The average number of patients present for more than 24 hours rose from 4.49 to 4.97, an increase of about 10.7%. The average number present for more than 48 hours increased from 1.67 to 1.83, or about 9.7%.

The change was broad. Eleven of the 15 comparable regions recorded higher average capacity in September. The average number of patients present for more than 24 hours also increased in 11 regions, was essentially unchanged in two and declined in two.

Montréal and Lanaudière recorded some of the largest increases

Montréal recorded the largest increase in average capacity among the comparable regions, rising from approximately 114.2% in August to 126.7% in September — a gain of 12.5 percentage points.

The region's prolonged-stay measures moved in the same direction. The average number of patients present for more than 24 hours increased from 10.9 to 12.8, while the average present for more than 48 hours rose from 5.3 to 6.0.

Lanaudière also recorded a substantial month-to-month increase. Average capacity rose from approximately 97.3% to 108.9%, a gain of 11.6 percentage points, while the average number of patients present for more than 24 hours increased from 5.9 to 8.4.

Outaouais moved in the opposite direction

The September increase was not uniform across Quebec.

In Outaouais, average capacity declined from approximately 83.4% in August to 79.2% in September. The average number of patients present for more than 24 hours fell from 3.8 to 2.9, while the average present for more than 48 hours declined from 1.3 to 0.7.

The contrast shows that while the provincial pattern was upward across most comparable regions, individual regions experienced considerably different month-to-month changes.

About the data

This analysis compares Quebec emergency department data from August 1–31, 2026 with September 1–30, 2026.

It covers 15 regions with comparable data across both full calendar months, representing 73,431 observations in August and 76,333 in September. Provincial averages reflect all observations from the included regions rather than weighting each region equally.

Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec is excluded from the month-to-month comparison because comparable regional coverage was not available for both months.

ER capacity and prolonged-stay figures describe reported operational conditions. They do not measure clinical safety or quality of care.

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