VCH ER Wait Times (Vancouver Coastal Health)

At 6:20 pm PDT, the shortest published ER wait was Whistler Health Care Centre at 45 minutes. The median across 11 reporting ERs was 2 hours 30 minutes. Numbers change through the day, so check the list above before you go.

edwaittimes.ca publishes "9 in 10 patients seen within": 'Wait Time' is the time it takes for almost all patients – 9 out of every 10 who visit the ED – to be seen by a physician. This is also known as the 90th percentile and is the time in which 90% of all people seeking care will be seen. Some people, about 10%, may have to wait longer than this time. Wait time refers to the length of time between being assessed by a triage nurse and seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner.

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: edwaittimes.ca

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.

No. REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre is listed without a published wait; its page shows the nearest tracked sites that do publish one.

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 HealthLink BC at 811 for advice from a nurse.

Yes. Unlike Fraser Health's, VCH's urgent and primary care centres (UPCCs) post a wait on edwaittimes.ca, measured the same way as its emergency departments. The exception is REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre on Commercial Drive, which REACH runs: when it is open, call 604-216-3138 for its wait. UPCCs treat problems that need care today but are not life-threatening.

UBC Hospital's emergency department is open 8 am to 8 pm, Whistler Health Care Centre's 8 am to 10 pm, and Pemberton Health Centre's 8:30 am to 8:30 pm. Vancouver General, Richmond, Lions Gate, Squamish General, Sechelt and qathet General hospitals are open 24 hours. When an ER is closed, go to another one or call 911.

Vancouver General Hospital is the Level 1 Adult Trauma Centre for British Columbia, and Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver is a Level III trauma centre. For a serious injury, call 911: paramedics take you to the hospital that can treat you.

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