Canadian Emergency Department Wait Times Reach Critical Levels
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Discrepancy in wait time statistics.
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Story essentials
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Canadian hospitals
Canada
June 2026
This page is produced by collecting and structuring multiple public reports. Sections based only on reporting or testimony affect the displayed assessment, and the page is updated when new information is identified.
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COMPAMIR Editorial Team
The COMPAMIR editorial team brings together public reporting and links to the original coverage. We update the page as new information emerges.
Read our editorial policy- Earlier version 16/25/2026, 1:30:53 PM
A new report reveals that 10% of patients in Canadian emergency departments waited over 14 hours for care in 2024-25. Wait times for hospital admission from the ED have increased by 33% since 2018-19. Overcrowding is attributed to systemic issues, including primary care shortages and an aging, complex patient population.
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