The Ontario government has officially launched the Emergency Department Action Team, backed by more than $47 million over four years, to help 26 hospitals across the province reduce emergency room wait times and improve patient care.
The team will apply Lean methodologies to streamline processes, identify and address bottlenecks and improve patient flow. It will target 26 emergency department sites where there is the greatest opportunity to reduce wait times.
“Ontario is investing historic amounts in our health-care system, including $101 billion this year, so we can connect more patients to convenient care close to home,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Our Emergency Department Action Team will leave no stone unturned in its mission to reduce emergency room wait times at Ontario hospitals, so patients and families get the care they need, when and where they need it.”
In fall 2025, the team worked with five emergency department sites across three hospital organizations: The Ottawa Hospital, Windsor Regional Hospital and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. That work identified operational, workforce and system-level factors contributing to delays, as well as practical changes to help patients move more quickly through assessment, diagnostics, admission and discharge. The five hospitals will begin implementing the recommendations over the coming months.
“Our government is taking action to shorten wait times and ensure people have the best possible experience every time they enter an emergency department,” said Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health. “The Emergency Department Action Team will build on the work already underway across the province by delivering practical solutions that improve emergency services, reduce wait times and help patients get the care they need when they need it.”
The province says that between 2024 and 2025, average ambulance offload time improved by more than 20 per cent, average wait time to physician initial assessment improved by seven per cent, and average length of stay for admitted patients improved by nearly 10 per cent.
The team will be chaired by Dr. Abdel-Rahman Lawendy, an orthopedic surgeon and researcher in London, Ont.
“Ontario’s hospital emergency department teams have demonstrated resilience and improved performance,” said Matthew Anderson, president and CEO of Ontario Health. “Today’s announcement of the Emergency Department Action Team will further bolster Ontario’s response to health system pressures and increasingly high acuity.”
