Wait times for Quebec’s Info-Santé 811 have climbed to nearly two hours as the province approaches the peak of cold and flu season.
As of Oct. 17, callers waited an average of 109 minutes to speak with a nurse, nearly 30 minutes longer than at the start of the month, according to Santé Québec.
The service typically sees its highest call volumes between November and March. Last winter, wait times reached nearly two and a half hours on December 27, 2025, the longest recorded in four years.
Info-Santé 811 handles about two million calls annually. Santé Québec says it has been increasing staffing and testing new ways to reduce delays, including an AI-powered tool to help non-clinical agents handle calls about influenza and gastroenteritis.
The measures aim to free up nurses to focus on more complex cases as demand rises in the coming months.
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