Canada wait times by province: MRI, CT, cataract, hip and knee

Wait times by province differ more than the national average suggests. In CIHI's latest figures (April to September 2025), the median wait for a knee replacement was 81 days in Ontario and 217 days in Quebec, and 1 in 10 Albertans waited more than 467 days. Below, the same comparison for MRI, CT, cataract surgery and hip replacement, and what you can do if your province is at the slow end.

Wait times by province: the median, procedure by procedure

The median is the wait half of patients beat. CIHI measures it from the day you and your doctor decide on the scan or the operation, so the time spent waiting to see a specialist first is not included.

Days. Small figure: the wait that 1 in 10 patients exceeded (90th percentile). A dash means the figure is not in our ledger yet: for Quebec we have cataract, hip and knee waits but not MRI or CT. Source: CIHI data tables, April to September 2025.

Hip and knee replacement: the widest gap

Joint replacement shows the biggest spread between provinces. A knee replacement had a median wait of 81 days in Ontario, 152 in British Columbia, 172 in Alberta and 217 in Quebec. The share treated within the national benchmark ranged from 82.1% in Ontario to 42% in Quebec.

• Ontario: hip 76 days (83.8% within benchmark), knee 81 days (82.1% within benchmark); 1 in 10 waited over 230 and 244 days.
• British Columbia: hip 131 days (64.1% within benchmark), knee 152 days (57.2% within benchmark); 1 in 10 waited over 356 and 389 days.
• Alberta: hip 134 days (63% within benchmark), knee 172 days (52.5% within benchmark); 1 in 10 waited over 406 and 467 days.
• Quebec: hip 169 days (54% within benchmark), knee 217 days (42% within benchmark); 1 in 10 waited over 377 and 429 days.

CIHI's 2026 release says wait times for joint replacements are approaching pre-pandemic levels. For your options, see hip replacement wait in Canada and knee replacement wait in Canada, which put the wait next to private and overseas prices.

Cataract surgery wait times by province

British Columbia had the shortest median cataract wait, 35 days, with 84.6% treated within the benchmark. Ontario (68 days), Alberta (72) and Quebec (81) took close to twice as long or more at the median. CIHI says cataract waits have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels. More on cataract surgery wait times in Canada.

MRI and CT wait times by province

Imaging is where CIHI says delays persist. The median MRI wait was 47 days in Ontario, 72 in Alberta and 89 in British Columbia, and 1 in 10 British Columbians waited more than 240 days. CT is faster at the median (6 days in Ontario, 32 in Alberta), but the slowest 1 in 10 still waited more than 100 days in every province we track.

Alberta allows private imaging clinics: Insight Medical Imaging lists an MRI of the knee, shoulder or spine at C$749 and of the brain at C$799, and Mayfair Diagnostics a private CT of one body area at C$490. Compare those with scans abroad on MRI wait times in Canada and MRI scan cost by country.

What to do if your province is slow

1. Ask about other surgeons or hospitals. Waits differ within a province too; ask your doctor whether a referral elsewhere would be faster.
2. Ask for your date in writing, and tell your doctor if your pain or mobility gets worse, so your priority can be reviewed.
3. Compare paying privately. For imaging, private clinics in some provinces publish prices; for surgery, the knee replacement and hip replacement pages show published prices abroad, with a rough travel estimate.
4. Plan the recovery. If you travel for surgery, read flying after knee replacement before you book the flight home.