
Inside Canada's struggling emergency rooms, six years after Covid struck
From CanCon by Jordan Heath-Rawlings, Laura Palmer, Mat Keselman
March 19, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 25
About this episode
Dr. Brian Goldman discusses the ongoing crisis in Canada's emergency rooms six years after Covid-19.
One might've thought we'd learned our lesson in 2020. That being hit with waves of deeply ill patients that pushed our health care system—especially its front lines in hospitals and ERs—to the brink would have woken us up to just how close to disaster we were operating. Alas. On this episode of Cancon, Emergency Room physician, podcaster and author Dr. Brian Goldman takes us inside the ongoing low-level crisis that happening in emergency rooms across the country. Like any good doctor, he diagnoses the root of the problem, outlines the kind of long-term treatment it requires, and gives us some take-home instructions for the next time we find ourselves with a loved one in need of emergency care.
People in this episode
Hosts: Jordan Heath-Rawlings, Laura Palmer, Mat Keselman
Guest: Dr. Brian Goldman
Topics covered
- health care
- emergency rooms
- Covid-19
- crisis management
- patient care
Keywords
- emergency care
- health system
- hospital crisis
- patient treatment
- Covid impact
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Canada
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