Alberta ER Wait Times

23 of 101 hospitals reporting a live wait · open the map →

The median ER wait across Alberta's reporting emergency departments is currently about 3h 5m, updated live and changing through the day. Alberta has 101 emergency departments tracked here. CIHI grades it C for wait to be seen, 9 in 10 patients within 5.4 h. Right now the shortest posted wait is 30 min at Chinook Regional Hospital; the longest is 6h 33m at Misericordia Community Hospital. Compare all provinces on the report card →

Right now, 23 of 101 ERs across Alberta are reporting a live wait. Shortest: 30 min at Chinook Regional Hospital. Median 3h 5m.

Best time to go

Calmest5 a.m.

Busiest9 p.m.

For anything non-urgent, going at a calm hour can mean a much shorter wait.

Typical wait by hour

Typical emergency wait in Alberta by hour of day, in minutes
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
267	251	226	198	174	154	165	162	160	164	168	182	201	215	222	228	232	237	246	255	266	284	273	274

Wait by city

2 ERs · median 3h 19m

Edmonton

6 ERs · median 3h 40m

Calgary

6 ERs · median 4h 45m

Other cities in Alberta

Chinook Regional Hospital

Lethbridge

30 min

Northern Lights Regional Health Centre

Fort Mcmurray

30 min

Queen Elizabeth Ii Hospital

Grande Prairie

30 min

Westview Health Centre

Stony Plain

35 min

Devon General Hospital

Devon

42 min

Strathcona Community Hospital

Sherwood Park

1h 7m

Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre

Red Deer

1h 36m

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital

Medicine Hat

1h 54m

Alberta Children's Hospital

Calgary

1h 55m

Royal Alexandra Hospital

Edmonton

2h 28m

Sturgeon Community Hospital

St Albert

2h 31m

University of Alberta Hospital and Stollery Children's Hospital

Edmonton

3h 5m

Grey Nuns Community Hospital

Edmonton

3h 18m

Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital

Fort Saskatchewan

3h 19m

Peter Lougheed Centre

Calgary

3h 31m

Stollery Children's Hospital

Edmonton

3h 40m

South Health Campus - Children's Emergency

Calgary

4h 3m

Rockyview General Hospital

Leduc Community Hospital

Leduc

5h 12m

Foothills Medical Centre

Calgary

5h 33m

Northeast Community Health Centre

Edmonton

5h 49m

Misericordia Community Hospital

Edmonton

6h 33m

Athabasca Healthcare Centre

Athabasca

—

Barrhead Healthcare Centre

Barrhead

—

Bassano Health Centre

Bassano

—

Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital

Bonnyville Health Centre

Bonnyville

—

Bow Island Health Centre

Bow Island

—

Boyle Healthcare Centre

Canmore General Hospital

Canmore

—

Cardston Health Centre

Cardston

—

Central Peace Health Complex

Spirit River

—

Claresholm General Hospital

Claresholm

—

Cold Lake Healthcare Centre

Coronation Hspital & Care Centre

Coronation

—

Covenant Health Our Lady of the Rosary Hospital

Castor

—

Crowsnest Pass Health Centre

Blairmore

—

Daysland Health Centre

Daysland

—

Didsbury District Health Services

Didsbury

—

Drayton Valley Hospital & Care Centre

Drayton Valley

—

Drumheller Health Centre

Drumheller

—

Edson Healthcare Centre

Edson

—

Elk Point Healthcare Centre

Elk Point

—

Fairview Health Complex

Fairview

—

Fort Macleod Health Centre

Fort Macleod

—

Fort Saskatchewan Health Centre

Fort Saskatchewan

—

Fox Creek Health Care Centre

Fox Creek

—

Grande Cache Community Health Complex

Grande Cache

—

Grimshaw / Berwyn and District Community Health Centre

Hardisty Health Centre

Hardisty

—

High Prairie Health Complex

High Prairie

—

High River General Hospital

High River

—

Hinton Healthcare Centre

Hinton

—

Innisfail Health Centre

Innisfail

—

Jasper (Seton) Healthcare Centre

Jasper

—

Killam General Hospital

Killam

—

Lac la Biche Healthcare Centre

Lac La Biche

—

Lacombe Hospital & Care Centre

Lacombe

—

Lamont Health Care Centre

Lamont

—

Manning Community Health Centre

Manning

—

Mayerthorpe Health Care Centre

Mayerthorpe

—

Milk River Health Centre

Milk River

—

Northwest Health Centre

High Level

—

Oilfields General Hospital

Black Diamond

—

Olds Hospital & Care Centre

Olds

—

Peace River Community Health Centre

Peace River

—

Pincher Creek Health Centre

Pincher Creek

—

Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre

Ponoka

—

Provost Health Centre

Provost

—

Raymond Health Centre

Raymond

—

Redwater Health Centre

Redwater

—

Rimbey Hospital & Care Centre

Rimbey

—

Rocky Mountain House Health Centre

Rocky Mountain House

—

Sacred Heart Community Health Centre

Mclennan

—

Slave Lake Healthcare Centre

Slave Lake

—

Smoky Lake (George Mcdougall Memorial) Healthcare Centre

Smoky Lake

—

St. Joseph's General Hospital - Vegreville

St. Paul Healthcare Centre

St Paul

—

St. Theresa General Hospital

Fort Vermilion

—

Stettler Hospital & Care Centre

Stettler

—

Strathmore District Health Services

Strathmore

—

Sundre Hospital & Care Centre

Sundre

—

Swan Hills Healthcare Centre

Three Hills Health Centre

Three Hills

—

Tofield Health Centre

Tofield

—

Two Hills Health Centre

Two Hills

—

Valleyview Health Centre

Valleyview

—

Vermilion Health Centre

Vulcan Community Health Centre

Vulcan

—

Wainwright Health Centre

Wainwright

—

Westlock Healthcare Centre (h)

Westlock

—

Wetaskiwin Hospital & Care Centre

Wetaskiwin

—

Whitecourt Healthcare Centre

Whitecourt

—

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are these ER wait times?

They are the live estimates each hospital publishes, refreshed about every 10 minutes; we stamp every reading with the moment the hospital said it was current and flag a feed that goes stale. They are estimates, not guarantees, an emergency room always sees the sickest patients first, so your own wait can differ. We also backtest our forecasts against what hospitals post next; see the accuracy page.

What does the wait time actually measure?

Usually the estimated time to be seen by a physician, but Canada has no common definition. Quebec publishes stretcher occupancy, New Brunswick length of stay, and others an estimate of the wait to be seen, so we keep each province in its own units and never blend them into one misleading number.

Should I go to the ER, or somewhere else?

For anything life-threatening, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now, never wait for a shorter posted time. For a non-urgent problem, calling 811 (free 24/7 health advice), a walk-in clinic, or a pharmacist is often faster. When in doubt, get checked.

Why do some hospitals show no wait time?

Not every Canadian ER publishes a live wait, and some provinces release none at all. A blank means we have no live number, not that the ER is closed. Open a hospital's page for its current status, official website, and phone number.

Which Alberta ER has the shortest wait right now?

The list above is ordered by current posted wait, so the shortest comparable wait is at the top, but it shifts minute to minute, and in a real emergency the right choice is the nearest open ER, which can stabilize you and transfer you if needed.