Quebec emergency department wait times were 11 minutes shorter in 2025 than they were the previous year, a Montreal Economic Institute report indicates. The institute released a study that compared provincial emergency room waiting periods on a year‑over‑year basis, highlighting the reduction for the most recent reporting period.
The analysis, produced by the Montreal Economic Institute, examined data collected across the province's hospitals. By measuring the average time patients spent waiting before receiving care, the institute was able to determine that the overall waiting period decreased by 11 minutes when the 2025 figures were contrasted with those from 2024.
The report does not provide additional detail on the specific factors that contributed to the shortened wait times, nor does it break down the results by individual health regions or hospitals. Its focus remains on presenting the aggregate change observed across Quebec's emergency departments.
While the study confirms a measurable improvement in the speed at which patients are attended to in emergency settings, it stops short of offering policy recommendations or attributing the shift to particular interventions. The Montreal Economic Institute's role was limited to gathering and comparing the available wait‑time statistics.
The findings add to the body of information used by health officials and policymakers to monitor the performance of Quebec's health system. By documenting a concrete change in waiting periods, the report supplies a data point that may be referenced in future assessments of emergency care delivery within the province.
Overall, the Montreal Economic Institute's year‑over‑year comparison shows that, as of 2025, Quebec's emergency rooms were operating with a reduced average wait time of 11 minutes compared to the prior year.