The Canadian healthcare system continues to face significant challenges, with emergency department wait times reaching historic highs. A recent report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information reveals that approximately one-tenth of emergency department patients spent more than 14 hours in the emergency room in 2024-25, with around 180,000 people waiting more than 48 hours for admission.
The report highlights the complex interplay between patient complexity, system demand, and wait times. The emergency department is often the visible manifestation of a strained system, with patients requiring hospital admission facing the longest waits. In 2024-25, half of emergency department patients waited just under two hours for assessment, while 1 in 10 patients waited more than six hours.
The data also shows that the emergency department is absorbing the overflow from the healthcare system, with nearly two-thirds of visits requiring immediate or urgent medical attention. This represents an increase of seven percentage points since 2018-19, or approximately 1.7 million additional visits. Furthermore, nearly one-third of visits involved patients with multiple medical conditions, requiring more complex assessments and care coordination.
The report highlights the challenges faced by patients requiring long-term care, with half of those waiting for placement in long-term care facilities waiting up to 44 days in hospital. This is a stark reminder of the need for additional support and connected community resources. Dr. Paul Parks, an emergency medicine physician, has described the situation in emergency departments across Canada as a national crisis of the healthcare system.
The report also reveals that medical wait times fell slightly in 2025, but remain at historic highs. The data shows that sometimes hospital beds are not available because of patients waiting to access other services, such as long-term care or home care. These patients, known as alternate level of care, can remain in the hospital for a median of 44 days, highlighting the need for increased capacity and support.
The report highlights the importance of investing in home care staff to reduce emergency department wait times and increase surgical capacity. It also emphasizes the need for increased access to primary and community care, particularly for individuals living in low-income neighbourhoods who often rely on the emergency department to fill the gap.
