Royal Columbian Hospital Emergency Wait Times

New Westminster, British Columbia

Aerial view of Sapperton in New Westminster, British Columbia, home of Royal Columbian Hospital
Open 24 hoursERTreats: All ages
Photo: Northwest, CC BY 4.0

Royal Columbian Hospital ER wait time

9 in 10 patients seen within

Not published

edwaittimes.ca isn't publishing a wait for this site right now.

Life-threatening emergency? Call 911, don't wait.

Wait time key

  • Shorter wait: Under 2 hr
  • Long wait: 2 to 4 hr
  • Very long wait: 4 hr or more

Source

edwaittimes.ca

We check it every 5 minutes and show its own label for the number. How this page works

What does this number mean?

9 in 10 patients are seen within this time; about 1 in 10 wait longer. It is not the total time at the hospital, and sicker patients are seen first. How edwaittimes.ca defines it

The colours are set by us, not by edwaittimes.ca. Under 2 hours is the Canadian goal for even the least urgent patients. cihi.ca

How we measure and colour waits

Hospital details

Address
330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7
Phone
604-520-4253Main switchboard. For an emergency, call 911.
Hours
Every dayOpen 24 hours
Who it treats
  • Emergency department treats all ages
View more details
Operated by
Fraser Health
Parking
  • Pay at a pay station or with the hangTag app.
  • $4.25 for the first hour, then $3.50 an hour; $11.25 day rate in the parkades.
  • For emergency, park at ground level or P1 of the tower parkade, from Sherbrooke or Keary Street.

Parking information

Departments and services

33 departments, clinics and services

View all departments
Official information

About Royal Columbian Hospital

Royal Columbian Hospital is a hospital in New Westminster, British Columbia. Emergency department: All ages. This service is open 24 hours a day.

Royal Columbian Hospital, known as RCH or Royal Columbian, is Fraser Health's regional hospital at 330 East Columbia Street in New Westminster. The Province and Fraser Health both call it B.C.'s oldest hospital; it was founded in 1862 and has been at its present site in Sapperton since 1889. It is Fraser Health's Level 1 trauma centre, and Fraser Health lists cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, interventional cardiology and thoracic surgery among its specialized services, alongside levels one, two and three obstetrical care, neonatal intensive care and a paediatric inpatient service. A redevelopment is under way: a 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre opened to patients in 2020, and the 388-bed Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower opened to patients on May 31, 2026, with the new emergency department, a 47-bed intensive care unit, a 17-bed cardiac intensive care unit, medical-surgical units, satellite medical imaging, the main entrance and parking. The Province said the obstetrics unit, pediatrics unit, neonatal intensive care unit, operating rooms, interventional radiology and cardiology suites and a cardiac surgery intensive care unit were scheduled to open in fall 2026. Renovations to existing buildings are expected to be complete in 2029.

The emergency department is on the main floor of the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower, at the corner of East Columbia Street and Sherbrooke Street. It is open 24 hours a day, every day, and edwaittimes.ca lists it as seeing all ages. It has a zone, Zone 5, for patients who need psychiatric assessment and support. Emergency parking is at ground level and on level P1 of the tower parkade, entered from Sherbrooke Street or Keary Street. Fraser Health has no urgent and primary care centre in New Westminster. For problems that are not emergencies, HealthLink BC lists the Edmonds Urgent and Primary Care Centre at #201-7315 Edmonds Street, Burnaby (Monday to Friday 5 pm to 9 pm, Saturday 2 pm to 8 pm, Sunday and statutory holidays 12 pm to 6 pm) as covering New Westminster, and the Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice says the Port Moody Urgent and Primary Care Centre at 3105 Murray Street (9 am to 8 pm every day) serves New Westminster too. Since August 2026 Fraser Health has shown its emergency wait times as unavailable on edwaittimes.ca, and this page will show the wait as soon as it is published again. Fraser Health Virtual Care is available at 1-800-314-0999.

Sources: fraserhealth.ca, fraserhealth.ca 2, fraserhealth.ca 3, fraserhealth.ca 4, news.gov.bc.ca, www2.gov.bc.ca, archives.newwestcity.ca, fraserhealth.ca 5, fraserhealth.ca 6, edwaittimes.ca, Wikipedia

Who Royal Columbian Hospital treats

This ER treats patients of all ages.

In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Royal Columbian Hospital departments and services

The official Fraser Health facility page lists 33 departments, clinics and services here, grouped below by area of care.

Key services at a glance

  • Trauma care
  • Stroke care
  • Psychiatric emergency care
  • Children's emergency care
  • Intensive care (ICU)
  • Neonatal intensive care (NICU)
  • Labour and delivery
  • CT scan
  • MRI
  • X-ray
  • Ultrasound
  • Lab

All departments by area of care

Emergency, trauma and critical careEmergency · Zone 5 (Emergency Department psychiatric zone)2
  • Emergency
  • Zone 5 (Emergency Department psychiatric zone)
Heart and blood vesselsCardiac Surgery · Chest Pain Clinic · Heart Function Clinics5
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Chest Pain Clinic
  • Heart Function Clinics
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Pre-admission Clinic for Heart Procedures
Brain, nerves and strokeNeurological Sciences Services1
  • Neurological Sciences Services
SurgerySurgery Unit – General Surgery · Surgical Daycare · Thoracic Surgery4
  • Surgery Unit – General Surgery
  • Surgical Daycare
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
Bones, joints and musclesTrauma and Orthopedics1
  • Trauma and Orthopedics
Kidneys and urologyHemodialysis (Hospital) · Peritoneal Dialysis2
  • Hemodialysis (Hospital)
  • Peritoneal Dialysis
Pregnancy, birth and women's healthFetal Monitoring · Labour and Delivery · Maternal Fetal Medicine4
  • Fetal Monitoring
  • Labour and Delivery
  • Maternal Fetal Medicine
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – NICU
Children and youthB.C. Early Hearing Program · Pediatrics (paediatric inpatient service)2
  • B.C. Early Hearing Program
  • Pediatrics (paediatric inpatient service)
Mental health and addictionPsychiatry Unit – Inpatient (Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre)1
  • Psychiatry Unit – Inpatient (Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre)
Medicine and specialty clinicsAntibiotic Therapy · General Medicine · Intensive Care Unit – ICU3
  • Antibiotic Therapy
  • General Medicine
  • Intensive Care Unit – ICU
Diagnostic imaging and lab testsComputed Tomography (CT) · Interventional Radiology · Laboratory Service6
  • Computed Tomography (CT)
  • Interventional Radiology
  • Laboratory Service
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging – MRI
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • X-ray Services
Patient and family supportCounselling Services for Patients and Families · Health Records2
  • Counselling Services for Patients and Families
  • Health Records

Many clinics and programs need a referral. Check the official page or call the switchboard at 604-520-4253 before you go. In an emergency, call 911.

Royal Columbian Hospital ER questions

Understanding the wait

Why isn't the Royal Columbian Hospital ER wait showing right now?

We do not have a current wait estimate from edwaittimes.ca for this site. The latest update may be unavailable or out of date. This page shows the number again when a current reading is available. If it is an emergency, call 911.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

Is there an ER near Royal Columbian Hospital with a shorter wait?

"Nearby ER wait times right now", at the end of this page, lists the nearest tracked sites with their current waits. These are the nearest facilities in our tracked dataset, not necessarily every local care option. A shorter estimate is not a recommendation to travel farther. If it is an emergency, call 911.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

What does the Royal Columbian Hospital ER wait time mean?

edwaittimes.ca describes its ED wait as the time from triage assessment to seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner. The displayed estimate is the 90th percentile: about 9 in 10 patients are seen within that time, while about 1 in 10 may wait longer. It is not an average, an appointment time or a guarantee.

Source: edwaittimes.ca: about the estimates

Is the estimated length of stay at Royal Columbian Hospital the same as the wait time?

No. Estimated length of stay covers arrival to discharge home for 75% of patients, excluding people admitted to hospital. It includes assessment, tests and treatment. The wait-to-clinician estimate and this total-visit measure describe different parts of care.

Source: edwaittimes.ca: about the estimates

How often does edwaittimes.ca update Royal Columbian Hospital's estimate?

The publisher says its online estimates refresh every five minutes. This is separate from our checks of the source and does not mean the number must change at every refresh. The page shows the timestamp available for the latest information.

Source: edwaittimes.ca: about the estimates

Why can the wait at Royal Columbian Hospital change?

Demand can change suddenly as patients arrive, particularly after a serious incident. Patients with more urgent needs receive priority, so your own wait can be shorter or longer than the estimate.

Source: edwaittimes.ca: about the estimates

Planning your visit

Is the Royal Columbian Hospital ER open 24 hours?

Yes. The emergency department at Royal Columbian Hospital is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

Who can go to the Royal Columbian Hospital ER?

The emergency department at Royal Columbian Hospital sees patients of all ages.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

Where is Royal Columbian Hospital, and is there parking?

Royal Columbian Hospital is at 330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7. Pay at a pay station or with the hangTag app. $4.25 for the first hour, then $3.50 an hour; $11.25 day rate in the parkades. For emergency, park at ground level or P1 of the tower parkade, from Sherbrooke or Keary Street.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

Should I go to urgent care instead of Royal Columbian Hospital?

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. For minor problems, a family doctor, walk-in clinic or pharmacist may be quicker. If you are not sure where to go, call HealthLink BC at 811 for advice from a nurse.

Source: edwaittimes.ca

Where is the new Royal Columbian Hospital emergency department?

On the main floor of the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower, at the corner of East Columbia Street and Sherbrooke Street in New Westminster. The tower opened to patients on May 31, 2026. Emergency parking is at ground level and on level P1 of the tower parkade, entered from Sherbrooke Street or Keary Street. In an emergency, call 911.

Source: fraserhealth.ca; fraserhealth.ca; fraserhealth.ca; fraserhealth.ca; news.gov.bc.ca; www2.gov.bc.ca; archives.newwestcity.ca; fraserhealth.ca; fraserhealth.ca; edwaittimes.ca

Should I choose Royal Columbian Hospital using the online wait time?

The figures provide general information, not a recommendation about where to seek care. Travel, recent treatment at a hospital and your health needs also matter. For a serious emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. For advice about non-emergency options, contact HealthLink BC at 811.

Source: edwaittimes.ca: about the estimates

Map and directions

Royal Columbian Hospital

330 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7

DirectionsOpen in Google Maps

Nearby ER wait times right now

Straight-line distance. A shorter wait is worth a longer drive only if the trip is safe.
All British Columbia ER wait timesER wait times near me

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.

Nearest tracked urgent care: Edmonds UPCC (4.4 km)

Not sure where to go?

Call HealthLink BC at 811 to talk to a nurse. About HealthLink BC

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
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