News
Quebec ER Capacity Report — July 13 to 19, 2026
Quebec emergency departments reported an average capacity of 80.7% during the week, down from the preceding seven-day period but slightly above the level recorded one year earlier. Differences in regional and facility coverage mean comparisons should be interpreted with care.
Key figures
Provincial average ER capacity: 80.7%
Previous week: 83.2%
Same period in 2025: 79.9%
Average patients remaining more than 24 hours: 4.8
Average patients remaining more than 48 hours: 1.8
Provincial capacity declined from the previous week
Quebec’s record-weighted average emergency department capacity fell to 80.7% between July 13 and 19, down from 83.2% during the previous week of July 6 to 12.
That represents a decrease of 2.5 percentage points.
Indicators associated with prolonged emergency department stays also moved slightly lower. The average number of patients who had remained more than 24 hours declined from 5.0 to 4.8, while the average remaining more than 48 hours decreased from 1.9 to 1.8.
Among the 15 regions with records in both 2026 periods, 11 reported lower average capacity than in the previous week, while four reported an increase.
These week-to-week movements describe changes in reported operational load over two short periods and should not be interpreted as evidence of a longer-term shift.
Average capacity remained slightly above the 2025 level
The provincial average of 80.7% was 0.8 percentage points higher than the 79.9% recorded during the matching period of July 13 to 19, 2025.
Prolonged-stay averages were also higher than in the year-earlier data.
Patients remaining more than 24 hours averaged 4.8, compared with 4.0 in 2025. The average number remaining more than 48 hours was 1.8, compared with 1.2 one year earlier.
The year-over-year comparison is affected by differences in the number of reporting regions, facilities and observations. Reporting frequency also varied between the two years.
Regional patterns varied across Quebec
Among regions with records in both the current and year-earlier periods, Abitibi-Témiscamingue reported the largest decline in average capacity. Its regional average fell from 60.1% to 47.0%, a decrease of 13.1 percentage points.
Outaouais recorded the second-largest decline, moving from 84.8% to 76.6%, a decrease of 8.2 percentage points.
Other regions moved in the opposite direction.
Montréal’s reported average increased from 101.6% to 116.0%, a rise of 14.4 percentage points. The comparison is limited, however, by a change in coverage: Montréal had 17 reporting facilities in the current period, compared with 21 in the year-earlier data.
Côte-Nord’s average increased from 65.6% to 77.7%, a gain of 12.1 percentage points.
Across the 14 regions represented in both year-over-year periods, nine reported higher average capacity and five reported lower average capacity. The group of reporting facilities was not identical in every region.
Data coverage
The July 13-to-19 period included 15 reporting regions, 107 emergency department facilities and 17,851 records.
The previous week included 15 reporting regions, 107 facilities and 16,148 records.
The July 13-to-19, 2025 comparison period included 15 reporting regions, 114 facilities and 10,479 records.
A total of 44,478 records were analyzed across the three periods.
All retrieved records within the selected geographic scope and dates were included in the calculations. Provincial coverage was nevertheless incomplete and was not consistent across the three periods.
Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Québec had no records in either 2026 period, although it was represented in the 2025 data. Nord-du-Québec reported during both 2026 periods but had no records in the matching 2025 period.
These differences, together with changes in reporting frequency, limit direct comparisons between periods.
Methodology
Provincial averages were calculated as record-weighted means across all reporting emergency department facilities. Every reported observation received equal weight, including capacity readings of 0%.
Regional comparisons were based on the average of all reported observations within each region during the applicable seven-day period.
The highest and lowest figures represent the maximum and minimum individual capacity readings recorded anywhere in the retrieved Quebec data between July 13 and 19, 2026.
Capacity percentages and prolonged-stay counts describe reported emergency department operational load only. They should not be interpreted as measures of clinical quality or safety.
Informational use statement
This report is based on publicly reported emergency department data and is provided for informational purposes only.