Ontarians deserve fast, appropriate and high quality care when sudden injury or troubling symptoms take them to the emergency room (ER). That is why the Ontario government has made reducing ER wait times and improving access to family health care its top two health care priorities.

As part of its plan to improve ER performance and consistent with its commitment to transparency and accountability, the government of Ontario has set provincial targets for time spent in the ER and is moving forward with public reporting of the time Ontarians spend in the ER.

This initiative is a key component of the government’s comprehensive ER Strategy announced in May of 2008 and is fundamental to improving performance and patient satisfaction.

The information seen here is collected through a reporting system implemented in 128 hospitals across the province. This information will help you get a sense of how long you can expect to spend in an ER and why. Additionally, it will help us monitor our progress in improving emergency room performance across the province.

You can also find information about alternate options to an ER visit (i.e. Urgent Care Centres, walk-in clinics, etc…) that are available in your area at www.ontario.ca/healthcareoptions.

The Health Care Professionals section provides a more detailed summary of Ontario’s ER performance statistics, strategy, and resources.

NOTE : The Data Certification Council has reviewed the processes by which the time spent in the ER information contained within this web site is collected and reported.