Calgary ER Wait Times

5 hospital ERs, including 2 children's ERs plus 5 urgent care centres in Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane and Okotoks. Check available wait times from official sources, hours and directions.

9 of 10 reportingSource: official sources

Right now· Estimated wait to see a physician

6 of 6 ERs reporting

Typical wait4 hr 7 minMedian across reporting ERs
Shortest wait2 hr 45 minAlberta Children's HospitalLongest wait5 hr 36 minPeter Lougheed Centre
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Calgary area urgent care wait times

Urgent care treats problems that need care today but are not life-threatening. It is not an ER.

All urgent care wait times

Which Calgary hospitals handle trauma, stroke or burns?

From each hospital's official services list. In an emergency, paramedics take you to the right hospital: call 911.
Trauma care
Alberta Children's Hospital, Foothills Medical Centre
Stroke care
Foothills Medical Centre
Burn care
Alberta Children's Hospital, Foothills Medical Centre
Psychiatric emergency care
Alberta Children's Hospital, Foothills Medical Centre, Peter Lougheed Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, South Health Campus

About emergency care in Calgary

Foothills Medical Centre is the lead adult trauma centre for southern Alberta, and Alberta Children's Hospital is the pediatric trauma and emergency referral centre for southern Alberta, eastern British Columbia and western Saskatchewan. Foothills sees patients 15 and older; children under 15 go to Alberta Children's Hospital, or to the children's area inside the South Health Campus emergency department, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre and South Calgary Health Centre are urgent care centres, not emergency departments: they treat urgent problems that are not life-threatening. Airdrie, Cochrane and Okotoks have urgent care centres of their own. All of these communities are in Alberta's Calgary health corridor.

Sources: AHS facility page, AHS facility page 2, AHS facility page 3, AHS wait times, alberta.ca, Wikipedia

ER, urgent care or walk-in clinic?

  • Emergency department

    Serious problems that need a hospital, any time: broken bones, deep cuts, severe pain, or a fever in a baby under 3 months.

  • Urgent care

    Problems that are not life-threatening but need care today: sprains, minor cuts and burns, infections. Hours are often limited.

  • Walk-in clinics

    Minor problems such as colds, sore throats, rashes or prescription refills are often quicker here.

Not sure where to go?

Call Health Link at 811 to talk to a nurse. About Health Link

Call 811

Call 911

Chest pain or pressure, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, trouble breathing, a serious injury, or someone who will not wake up.

Call 911

Calgary ER wait time questions

What is the shortest ER wait in Calgary right now?

At 6:25 pm MDT, the shortest published ER wait was Alberta Children's Hospital at 2 hours 45 minutes. The median across 6 reporting ERs was 4 hours 7 minutes. Numbers change through the day, so check the list above before you go.

How are Calgary ER wait times calculated?

Alberta Health Services publishes "Estimated wait to see a physician": An estimate of how long it might take from an assessment by a triage nurse in the emergency department or urgent care to being seen by a physician. It does not represent the total time patients may spend at the hospital, and it does not apply to critically ill or injured patients, who are always seen quickly.

These measures can differ in their starting point and statistic. Compare estimates within the same measurement group. Patients with the most urgent needs are seen first.

Source: Alberta Health Services

How often are Calgary ER wait times updated?

Providers publish estimates on different schedules. Our checks are separate from those updates, and the displayed number may stay the same after a check. Each listing shows its available timestamp; check the source-specific frequencies below.

Publication and checking frequencies
SourceProvider updatesOur checks
Alberta Health ServicesAbout every 2 minutesEvery 5 minutes

Is there a children's ER in Calgary?

Yes: Alberta Children's Hospital and South Health Campus. Children's emergency departments see children and teens; adults should go to an adult or all-ages ER. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Do all ERs listed on this Calgary page publish wait times?

Yes. Every ER and urgent care centre listed on this page has a published wait estimate.

Should I go to urgent care or the ER in Calgary?

Call 911 for anything life-threatening. An emergency department is for serious problems that need a hospital. Urgent care treats problems that are not life-threatening but need care the same day, and its waits are listed separately. If you are not sure where to go, call Health Link at 811 for advice from a nurse.

More Alberta wait times

Photo credits (6)
  • South Health Campus: photo by JMacPherson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Rockyview General Hospital: photo by Chuck Szmurlo, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Foothills Medical Centre: photo by Thivierr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Peter Lougheed Centre: photo by Thivierr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Alberta Children's Hospital: photo by Thivierr, stiched by Qyd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre: photo by Yolanda Lie (Likeliehood), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Medical emergency? Call 911 now.

Do not check wait times or drive yourself if you have chest pain, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding or trouble breathing. Paramedics can start treatment on the way to hospital.

Call 911