This analysis covers 2,351 clinics across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec in the 2026 MyPetVet Index. Emergency veterinary access varies significantly — and in many cities, options are more limited than pet owners might expect.
According to the 2026 MyPetVet Index, which includes 2,351 veterinary clinics across four major provinces (3★+ rating threshold at time of indexing), the gap between standard and emergency care availability is significant.
46.7% of Canadian veterinary clinics in the MyPetVet Index offer emergency or after-hours care in 2026.
That means the majority of Canadian clinics operate strictly during standard business hours. In practical terms, that means more than half of veterinary clinics in major Canadian provinces do not publicly present after-hours emergency availability.
This report breaks down:
All data is based on publicly available clinic listings compiled in the MyPetVet directory as of February 2026.
This gap highlights why emergency preparedness matters for pet owners — especially outside major metro areas.
While emergency services are available in every province, coverage rates vary.
Urban-heavy provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia show stronger emergency density due to larger population centres. Provinces with more rural distribution may have fewer dedicated 24-hour hospitals, relying instead on shared or rotating emergency schedules.
| Province | Emergency Clinics | Total Clinics | Coverage | Cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 440 | 828 | 53.1% | 259 |
| British Columbia | 243 | 518 | 46.9% | 112 |
| Alberta | 207 | 457 | 45.3% | 114 |
| Quebec | 207 | 550 | 37.8% | 188 |
In major urban centres, pet owners typically have access to multiple emergency hospitals operating overnight.
Cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal show the strongest emergency coverage rates within the MyPetVet Index. These cities benefit from higher population density, larger referral hospitals, and specialty veterinary centres.
| City | Emergency | Total | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto, ON | 63 | 87 | 72.4% |
| Calgary, AB | 54 | 135 | 40.0% |
| Montreal, QC | 43 | 111 | 38.7% |
| Edmonton, AB | 36 | 77 | 46.8% |
| Vancouver, BC | 30 | 56 | 53.6% |
| Surrey, BC | 29 | 45 | 64.4% |
| London, ON | 23 | 45 | 51.1% |
| Kingston, ON | 13 | 17 | 76.5% |
| Nanaimo, BC | 13 | 18 | 72.2% |
| Victoria, BC | 13 | 35 | 37.1% |
In contrast, several mid-sized cities show limited dedicated emergency availability within the dataset.
In these locations, pet owners may need to travel to a neighbouring city, rely on on-call rotation systems, or seek care at regional referral hospitals. This is particularly important for pet owners in cities where emergency access falls below 30% of indexed clinics.
| City | Emergency | Total | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langley Twp, BC | 1 | 11 | 9.1% |
| Laval, QC | 3 | 15 | 20.0% |
| Newmarket, ON | 3 | 10 | 30.0% |
| Mississauga, ON | 11 | 34 | 32.4% |
| Kamloops, BC | 4 | 12 | 33.3% |
| Scarborough, ON | 7 | 19 | 36.8% |
| Victoria, BC | 13 | 35 | 37.1% |
| Langley, BC | 5 | 13 | 38.5% |
| Montreal, QC | 43 | 111 | 38.7% |
| Gatineau, QC | 6 | 15 | 40.0% |
In emergencies, time matters. Conditions such as bloat (GDV), severe trauma, toxic ingestion, respiratory distress, and seizures require immediate intervention.
In cities with limited emergency access, response time can increase significantly if owners must travel outside their local area.
Understanding emergency coverage in advance allows pet owners to:
The MyPetVet Index data suggests a clear pattern: major metros have dedicated emergency hospitals, while suburban and smaller cities often have fewer standalone emergency facilities. Some regions rely on rotating after-hours systems among local clinics.
This distribution reflects broader healthcare infrastructure trends and population density patterns.
If you live in a major city, you likely have multiple 24-hour emergency vet options.
If you live in a smaller city or suburban region, you should:
You can check emergency availability in your area using our Emergency Vet Finder.
Don’t wait in an emergency. Find the nearest open emergency vet clinic now.
Find Emergency Care →The MyPetVet Index includes 2,351 veterinary clinics across major Canadian provinces as of February 2026. Data was compiled from publicly available business listings and includes clinics meeting a 3★+ rating threshold at the time of indexing. Emergency availability was determined by directly analyzing each clinic's website for structural indicators of emergency services — including navigation menus, page headings, URL paths, structured data (JSON-LD), and page content in both English and French. Clinics were scored based on the prominence and context of emergency-related terms, with referral-only mentions filtered out. This website-based analysis provides more comprehensive detection than listing data alone. This methodology measures publicly presented emergency services and does not independently verify operational capacity.
A note on Quebec: Quebec’s emergency coverage rate (37.8%) is now comparable to other provinces after website-based analysis. Initial analysis using only Google listing data showed Quebec at 7.3%, significantly lower than other provinces. Website-based analysis revealed that many Quebec clinics offer emergency or after-hours services but use French-language terms (e.g., “urgence,” “service de garde”) not captured by listing data alone. The updated figure reflects emergency availability as presented on clinic websites in both English and French. This report reflects emergency coverage within the MyPetVet dataset and does not represent a complete census of all veterinary clinics in Canada.
Related: Emergency Vet Guide → · Vet Cost Guide → · How to Choose a Vet →
Data source: MyPetVet Index (2026), 2,351 clinics, 3★+ rating threshold at time of indexing.
URL: https://mypetvet.ca/blog/emergency-vet-access-canada/
Journalists and publishers are welcome to reference this data with attribution to MyPetVet Canada.