AHS ER Wait Times (Alberta Health Services)

Alberta Health Services publishes wait times for 24 hospital ERs, including 3 children's ERs plus 5 urgent care centres. We are an independent site, not affiliated with AHS: we show its numbers as published and link to the official page.

26 of 29 reportingSource: official sources

Right now· Estimated wait to see a physician

23 of 25 ERs reporting

Typical wait4 hr 24 minMedian across reporting ERs
Shortest wait1 hr 1 minChinook Regional HospitalLongest wait8 hr 8 minMisericordia Community Hospital

AHS emergency wait times by region

Each region lists its sites from shortest to longest current wait. Sites without a published wait are listed further down.

Edmonton corridor

Calgary corridor

How AHS calculates its wait times

“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.

People with the most urgent needs are always seen first, so your own wait may be shorter or longer. Alberta Health Services’s definition

Facilities without a published wait

AHS lists these sites but publishes no wait estimate for them.

Operated by Covenant Health

Covenant Health runs these 2 sites; AHS publishes their waits.

Covenant Health website

Alberta ER wait times by city

About Alberta Health Services

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is Alberta's main provider of hospital care. Since April 1, 2025 it has reported to Acute Care Alberta, which oversees hospital, urgent and emergency care in the province. AHS runs 88 of Alberta's 98 hospitals, along with six urgent care centres and four stand-alone emergency departments.

On its public wait times page, AHS publishes an estimated wait for emergency departments and urgent care centres in and around Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray, including two Edmonton hospitals run by Covenant Health. The estimate covers the time from triage to being seen by a physician and is recalculated every 2 minutes.

AHS used to manage its sites through five zones. On December 1, 2025 its zone teams moved to the province's seven regional health corridors, as Alberta shifts to hospital-based leadership.

Sources: albertahealthservices.ca (PDF), open.alberta.ca (PDF), AHS wait times, albertahealthservices.ca (PDF) 2, 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

AHS wait time questions

What are AHS ER wait times right now?

At 6:25 pm MDT, the shortest published ER wait was Chinook Regional Hospital at 1 hour 1 minute. The median across 23 reporting ERs was 4 hours 24 minutes. Numbers change through the day, so check the list above before you go.

How are AHS emerg 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 AHS 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

Which AHS hospitals have a children's ER?

Yes: Alberta Children's Hospital, South Health Campus and Stollery Children's Hospital. 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.

Does AHS publish a wait for every site?

No. Innisfail Health Centre and Lacombe Hospital are listed without a published wait; their pages show the nearest tracked sites that do publish one.

Should I go to a AHS urgent care centre or the ER?

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.

Is this the official AHS website?

No. ERWaitTimes.ca is an independent site, not affiliated with Alberta Health Services. We regularly check the official estimates and link to the source. The update-frequency table above describes each feed.

Photo credits (14)
  • Stollery Children's Hospital: photo by RhPAP, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • University of Alberta Hospital: photo by WinterE229 WinterforceMedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Royal Alexandra Hospital: photo by Ian Stumpf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Leduc Community Hospital: photo by SmolBrane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Grey Nuns Community Hospital: photo by Johntwrl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital: photo by Matthew Boonstra, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre: photo by Yolanda Lie (Likeliehood), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Alberta Children's Hospital: photo by Thivierr, stiched by Qyd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • 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
  • Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre: photo by Koppertone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Medicine Hat Regional Hospital: photo by Koppertone, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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