‘Emergency department wait times are a canary in a coal mine for health system performance,’ says Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives official
Bob Bruton, Timmins Today
May 22, 2026
BARRIE – Emergency room wait times have lengthened in Ontario hospitals, says the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
At a media conference held Thursday morning in Barrie, the CCPA said that, provincially, ER wait times increased 52 per cent during 2020-21 to 2024-25 for hospital admission, and 67 per cent for a physician assessment.
CCPA senior researcher Andrew Longhurst said ER wait times are an important indicator.
“Emergency department wait times are a canary in a coal mine for health system performance,” he said. “Emergency departments with long wait times and over-crowding signal that the overall health system is struggling to keep up with patient demand for care.”
Longhurst said that during the last three years, CCPA research shows that predictable increases in Ontario hospital costs are being met with consistent underfunding from the provincial government.
Read more at Timmins Today
