ER wait times are getting longer across Canada and here's where they're the worst

If you find yourself needing to visit an emergency room (ER) in Canada, be prepared for longer wait times.

According to a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), Canadians are spending too much time waiting in ERs across the country.

"With tens of thousands of patients going to the emergency room daily and waiting hours for treatment, ERs are one of the many bottlenecks that must be addressed to ensure that Canadians can get timely access to the care they need," reads the study, released this past week.

The MEI examined data across provinces and over time to measure the average length of ER wait times in Canada.

To do so, it evaluated the total length of stay. This includes the time patients spend in the emergency department, from the moment they enter and register to the moment they leave, whether discharged or admitted to the hospital.

Another factor the study considered is the time to physician initial assessment, which represents how long patients wait between initial registration and/or triage and receiving care from a physician or nurse practitioner.

Based on data that was available for the fiscal year 2024 to 2025, the MEI was able to determine the ER wait times for the following provinces: Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, P.E.I. and Quebec.

For the average length of stay, Quebec holds the title for the longest ER wait times in the country at five hours and 23 minutes.

"Data show that the shortest length of stay was in Newfoundland and Labrador at two hours and 45 minutes, almost half that of Quebec," reads the report.

B.C. ranks fourth in the country for the longest ER wait times, with a median length of stay of four hours and 13 minutes. Ontario's length of stay is at four hours, while Alberta is on the lower end of the list at three hours and 48 minutes.

Chart from MEI.

When it comes to how long patients have to wait before being assessed by a physician, Ontario and Alberta both achieved the fastest time of one hour and 30 minutes.

B.C., Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador are in the middle of the pack, while P.E.I. had the longest time of an average of two hours and 58 minutes.

"The performance of each individual hospital also varies considerably across the country. For example, the median length of stay in Newfoundland and Labrador's Bay d’Espoir Medical Clinic is of very short duration at only 29 minutes," notes the report.

"In comparison, 50 per cent of patients in the emergency room of Pavillon Albert-Prévost in Quebec stay for more than 13 hours and 5 minutes."

Change in ER wait times since 2020

According to the MEI, over the last five years, all provinces that have the data available have seen both their average length of stay and the average time to physician initial assessment increase.

"The highest jump was seen in P.E.I., where both median length of stay and time to physician initial assessment increased by one hour 35 minutes over those five years, representing a 51.8 per cent increase in the former and a 114.5 per cent increase in the latter," reads the report.

B.C. saw the largest deterioration in its average length of stay in the past year, increasing by 14 minutes. Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta were able to maintain their average length of stay as in the previous year.

The MEI shared an example from France's health care system that could be a solution to these skyrocketing ER wait times.

In France, there are independent clinics that specialize in handling low-priority cases, or minor non-life-threatening emergencies called Immediate Medical Care Centres. These emergencies could include bone fractures, wounds that need stitches, infections, flu and other "non-vital" emergencies.

"The point of these clinics is to offer patients a point of access to care that differs from large hospital emergency rooms," explains the report. "And while most do have set business hours, even these selective schedules have an impact on the patients that use them."

This isn't the only report that has given Canada's healthcare system a failing grade. A recent study revealed that Canada might not be taking women's health seriously.