A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reveals that nearly 200,000 emergency patients waited 48 hours or more for a hospital bed in 2024-25, a crisis that emergency physicians say is lethal.
Key findings on ER wait times
Of the 16.1 million emergency department visits reported, 1.8 million patients required hospital admission. While half of admitted patients waited less than five hours for a bed after the decision to admit, one in 10 — 180,000 people — languished 48 hours or more in the emergency department before being transferred to a ward or operating room.
Overall, half of all emergency patients spent four hours or less in the ER from triage to departure; 40% spent five to 14 hours; and one in 10 spent over 14 hours, a 28% increase from 2018-19. In total, 1.5 million people spent more than 14 hours in emergency care.
Deadly consequences of delays
Studies have shown that for every 82 patients waiting more than six to eight hours for a bed, one additional death occurs. Applying this to the 180,000 patients waiting over two days, Ottawa emergency physician Dr. Michael Herman estimates 2,195 attributable deaths. “This is not just inconvenient for patients, this is lethal,” said Herman, a director on the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians’ board of directors.
The CIHI report validates “what we’ve been saying on the frontline for years now,” Herman added.
Patient acuity rising, not minor complaints
Contrary to the myth that ER overcrowding is driven by minor complaints, the data show that severe, unstable cases have increased from 59% to 66% of all emergency visits since 2018-19 — an additional 1.7 million visits. Two-thirds of patients are now triaged as high acuity, meaning life-threatening conditions like cardiac arrest or severe sepsis. “The data clearly show that’s not true. We’re seeing a decrease in our low acuity patients and yet wait times are still going up,” Herman said.
People arriving in emergency are sicker, often with multiple underlying health problems, and staying longer.
Growing frustration and patients leaving
Across Canada, ER wait times are intensifying in overcrowded, short-staffed hospitals in both urban and rural areas. Stretchers and beds are not keeping pace with demand, creating backlogs. In 2024-25, 7.7% of emergency visits — 1.2 million — involved patients leaving without being assessed by a doctor, reflecting rising frustration.
The report underscores a systemic crisis that requires urgent action to prevent further preventable deaths.
