Ontario emergency departments in 'extreme gridlock' warning 'longer than usual' waits this weekend

Weekend gridlock in GTA emergency rooms William Osler Health is raising a red flag over its 'gridlock' experience this past weekend, where it saw unprecedented wait times in the ER

William Osler Health System is warning the public about longer than normal wait times at its emergency departments, as two of its hospitals experience "extreme gridlock."

The multi-site hospital system includes Brampton Civic Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and Peel Memorial Centre.

Osler tweeted shortly before 10 p.m. on Friday that it is seeing “a significantly high volume of patients at our Emergency Departments with longer than usual wait times.”

"As of October 15, 2022, Osler remains in a state of Extreme Gridlock at both Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General Hospitals," the health organization said in a statement to CP24.

"We appreciate patience and understanding during this time and recommend that patients visit our Emergency Department wait times webpage for information about all of the care options available," the statement reads.

As of 7 a.m. on Saturday, the wait time was roughly four hours and 31 minutes with 49 patients waiting to be seen.

Osler’s emergency departments remain open 24/7 and its urgent care centre and virtual urgent care are operating on regular schedules.

Last weekend, the intensive care unit at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital reached full capacity as the hospital was also dealing with “much longer than normal” wait times.

A spokesperson for the hospital said it continues to experience staffing challenges, including in the ICU department.

Ahead of the Thanksgiving long weekend, SickKids warned about “extremely high patient volumes” and much longer than normal wait times for non-emergencies.

The division head of emergency medicine at SickKids told CP24 an overwhelming number of patients were visiting the hospital due to viral season and a lack of primary caregivers across the province.