ER Compass
live + archived ER waits

British Columbia ER Wait Times

10 of 88 hospitals reporting a live wait · open the map →

The median ER wait across British Columbia's reporting emergency departments is currently about 3h 23m, updated live and changing through the day. British Columbia has 88 emergency departments tracked here. CIHI grades it B for wait to be seen, 9 in 10 patients within 5.0 h. Right now the shortest posted wait is 1h at Ubc Hospital; the longest is 8h 40m at BC Children's Hospital. Compare all provinces on the report card →

Right now, 10 of 88 ERs across British Columbia are reporting a live wait. Shortest: 1h at Ubc Hospital. Median 3h 23m.

Best time to go

Calmest8 a.m.
Busiest11 p.m.

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

Wait by city

Other cities in British Columbia
Ubc Hospital
Vancouver
1h
Powell River General Hospital
Powell River
1h 33m
Squamish General Hospital
Squamish
1h 37m
Pemberton Health Centre
Pemberton
1h 45m
St. Paul's Hospital
Vancouver
3h 18m
St. Mary's Hospital / Sechelt-Shishalh Hospital
Sechelt
3h 23m
Lions Gate Hospital
North Vancouver
4h 36m
Vancouver General Hospital
Vancouver
7h 23m
Richmond Hospital
Richmond
7h 27m
BC Children's Hospital
Vancouver
8h 40m
100 Mile District General Hospital
100 Mile House
Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Care
Abbotsford
Arrow Lakes Hospital
Nakusp
Ashcroft and District Hospital and Community Health Centre
Ashcroft
Atlin Health Centre
Atlin
Closed
Boundary Hospital
Grand Forks
Bulkley Valley District Hospital
Smithers
Burnaby Hospital
Burnaby
Campbell River and District Regional Hospital
Campbell River
Cariboo Memorial Hospital and Health Centre
Williams Lake
Chemainus Health Care Centre
Chemainus
Chetwynd General Hospital and Health Centre
Chetwynd
Chilliwack General Hospital
Chilliwack
Cowichan District Hospital
Duncan
Creston Valley Hospital
Creston
Dawson Creek and District Hospital
Dawson Creek
Delta Hospital
Delta
Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital and Health Centre
Clearwater
Eagle Ridge Hospital
Port Moody
East Kootenay Regional Hospital
Cranbrook
Elk Valley Hospital
Fernie
Fort Nelson General Hospital
Fort Nelson
Fort St. John Hospital
Fort St John
Fraser Canyon Hospital
Hope
Fraser Lake Community Health Centre
Fraser Lake
Closed
Golden and District General Hospital
Golden
Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre (South End)
Queen Charlotte
Houston Health Centre
Houston
Closed
Hudson's Hope Health Centre
Hudson's Hope
Closed
Invermere and District Hospital/Columbia Valley
Invermere
Kelowna General Hospital
Kelowna
Kitimat Hospital & Health Centre
Kitimat
Closed
Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital
Trail
Kootenay Lake Hospital
Nelson
Lady Minto Gulf Islands Hospital
Salt Spring Island
Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre
Burns Lake
Langley Memorial Hospital
Langley
Lillooet District Hospital and Health Centre
Lillooet
Mackenzie and District Hospital and Health Centre
Mackenzie
Masset Hospital
Masset
Mcbride and District Hospital
Mcbride
Mills Memorial Hospital
Terrace
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
Nanaimo
Nicola Valley Health Centre
Merritt
North Island Hospital Comox Valley
Courtenay
Northern Haida Gwaii Hospital and Health Centre (North End)
Masset
Peace Arch Hospital
White Rock
Penticton Regional Hospital
Penticton
Port Hardy Hospital
Port Hardy
Port Mcneill and District Hospital
Port Mcneill
Prince George Regional Hospital
Prince George
Prince Rupert Regional Hospital
Prince Rupert
Princeton General Hospital
Princeton
Providence Health Care - Mount Saint Joseph Hospital
Vancouver
Queen Charlotte Islands General Hospital
Queen Charlotte
Queen Victoria Hospital and Health Centre
Revelstoke
Ridge Meadows Hospital
Maple Ridge
Royal Columbian Hospital
New Westminster
Royal Inland Hospital
Kamloops
Royal Jubilee Hospital
Victoria
Saanich Peninsula Hospital
Saanichton
Shuswap Lake General Hospital
Salmon Arm
South Okanagan General Hospital
Oliver
St. John Hospital
Vanderhoof
St. Joseph's General Hospital - Comox
Comox
Stewart Health Centre
Stewart
Closed
Stikine Health Centre
Dease Lake
Closed
Stuart Lake Hospital
Fort St James
Closed
Surrey Memorial Hospital
Surrey
Tofino General Hospital
Tofino
Tumbler Ridge Health Centre
Tumbler Ridge
Closed
Valemount Health Centre
Valemount
Closed
Victoria General Hospital - Victoria
Victoria
West Coast General Hospital
Port Alberni
Whistler Health Care Centre
Whistler
Wrinch Memorial Hospital
Hazelton
g.r. Baker Memorial Hospital
Quesnel
r.w. Large Memorial Hospital
Waglisla

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 British Columbia 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.