The average wait time to speak with a nurse on Quebec’s Info-Santé 811 has risen to nearly two hours as the province’s health line enters its peak season. As of Oct. 17, the average wait to speak with a nurse was 109 minutes, nearly 30 minutes longer than it was at the beginning of the month, according to Santé Québec data. Santé Québec said the increase in call volume is partly due to cold and flu season. “The wait time to speak with a health-care professional through 811 can vary from one day to the next, particularly depending on call volume, which may increase with the arrival of virus season,” a Santé Québec spokesperson told CTV News. According to Santé Québec, Info-Santé’s 811 sees its highest call volumes between November and March, coinciding with cold and flu season. On Dec. 27, 2025, Info-Santé 811 recorded its longest wait time in the past four years, with callers waiting nearly two and a half hours to speak with a nurse. January 2026 also saw the longest wait times for the month of January compared with the previous four years. “Now is a good time to book an appointment to get vaccinated against winter respiratory viruses,” Santé Québec said. Info-Santé 811 handles about two million calls annually — roughly 6,000 calls each day. Calls are answered by the first available nurse from one of 15 call centres across the province. In 2025, the service received 1,984,304 calls. As of Oct. 14 this year, it had received 1,763,602 calls. Call volumes typically begin to drop in March after the winter peak season. However, this year, calls declined in March and began rising again in April. As a result, call volumes remained higher throughout the summer than in previous years. Santé Québec data show that Info-Santé 811 received more calls between April and October 2026 than during the same period in the previous four years. Santé Québec said staffing shortages and the growing complexity of calls that require more time and attention are also contributing to wait times. Despite the wait times, Santé Québec said a callback option is available so people don’t have to stay on hold while waiting to speak with a nurse. It also said it has been working since last fall to increase staffing at its call centres while testing measures to shorten wait times and better meet demand. One measure involves using an AI-powered app to help non-clinical agents handle influenza or gastroenteritis calls, allowing nurses to focus on more complex calls.
