A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information paints a stark picture of emergency room overcrowding. The data shows one in ten patients admitted to a Canadian emergency department in 2024-25-about 180,000 people-waited more than 48 hours for an inpatient bed.
Approximately 1.5 million people spent over 14 hours in an ER during the same period, a 28 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels. The report attributes the strain to overcrowding, staffing shortages, and bed capacity not keeping pace with demand.
Older adults and those with chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure face the longest waits. Experts note these delays carry risks, including worsening patient conditions and adverse events.
The root causes extend beyond the ER. Patients with complex needs are arriving, and discharging them to long-term care or rehabilitation is often delayed, with some waiting an average of 24 days in hospital for an appropriate bed.
Rural and remote communities are hit particularly hard. One in four hospitalizations for residents in these areas involves a high travel burden, a problem compounded by specialist staffing shortages.
Officials describe this as a system-wide crisis, requiring coordinated action across primary care, hospitals, home care, and long-term care to find solutions.