Majority of Ontario hospitals are also forecasting budget deficits, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
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Tina Yazdani May 11, 2026 The Trillium |
The Ford government says it is addressing capacity pressures inside hospitals, even as a new report finds a dramatic increase in emergency department wait times is putting patients at risk.
The new research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) compared the situation inside hospital ERs in 2020/21 to 2024/25.
The study compared the 90th percentile wait times — the time at which 90 per cent of patients waited less, and 90 per cent waited longer. It found a 90th percentile wait time of 4.5 hours for an initial physician assessment; that’s up from 2.7 hours, a 67 per cent increase in five years, the CCPA found.
It found a 90th percentile wait of 44 hours to be admitted to an inpatient bed, up from 29 hours, a 52 per cent increase in five years, according to the report.
“The longer patients languish in the emergency department waiting to be admitted, the risks of deteriorating health status and poorer outcomes increase,” said Andrew Longhurst, a senior researcher at the CCPA.
When asked if it’s acceptable that ER wait times are increasing, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said low-acuity visits are falling, suggesting the government’s efforts to divert non-urgent cases to community settings like primary care and pharmacies is having an impact.
“Then individuals make decisions not to go to emergency departments because they have those other opportunities,” she said.
On Monday, the government announced it is once again expanding pharmacist powers, adding five common ailments to the 19 they are already allowed to treat.
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