Quebec emergency room occupancy rates expected to reach winter peak soon

Emergency rooms in Montreal and across Quebec are well over 100 per cent capacity as the province is about to hit its winter peak. (Daniel J. Rowe / CTV News)

The situation in Quebec’s emergency rooms continues to deteriorate, and the peak of activity for the winter season will likely happen soon, warns Santé Québec.

At the health agency’s weekly press briefing on Friday morning, Access Coordination and Care Pathways assistant vice-president Robin-Marie Coleman said the average stretcher occupancy rate in the province reached 119 per cent for the week of Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.

This represents an increase of four per cent compared with the same period last year.

Last week, it was at 115 per cent.

According to Coleman, if the occupancy rate continues on this same trajectory, it could reach its winter peak within two weeks.

In Montreal alone, the occupancy rate is soaring at 143 per cent, while the 450 regions - Laval, Lanaudière, the Laurentians and Montérégie - have a rate of 137 per cent.

Both rates are up on the previous year and rising steadily from week to week.

Only the Québec--Chaudières-Apalaches region boasts a slight annual drop, with a rate of 103 per cent.

Daily visits continue to grow, reaching a total of 9,787 last week, 3.8 per cent more than last year.

In Montreal, the number of visits was 220 more than last year.

Coleman pointed out that many of the emergency room admissions involve people with “flu-like symptoms.”

She also says that more and more overcapacity beds are being opened to cope with the growing numbers, although this is not a sustainable solution.

“The increases we are seeing are due to several factors, the first of which is the ageing of the population,” said Coleman, who pointed out that many elderly people entering emergency remain there while waiting for a place in a CHSLD.

“But,” she continued, “the solution is not simply to create more CHSLDs. We need to change our practices so that people can stay in their own homes for as long as possible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 7, 2025.