Canadian MRI wait times remain above pre-pandemic levels in 2026

National picture in 2026

Early 2026 provincial data compiled from public reporting lists a national median non-urgent MRI wait of 10.8 weeks, with approximately 400 MRI machines operating across Canada, or about 10 scanners per million residents. The same compilation notes the United States operates roughly 40 MRI units per million residents.

CIHI attributes ongoing pressure to a growing and aging population, health workforce shortages, and increased medical complexity in patients. Cheryl Chui, Director, Health System Analytics at CIHI, stated that the surgical backlog from the height of the pandemic has effectively been cleared, though ripple effects on wait times persist.

Provincial breakdown, early 2026

Reported average and median non-urgent MRI waits by province include:

• Quebec: 8-week average, 7-week median, year-over-year change of -0.3 weeks.
• British Columbia: 10-week average, 9-week median, -0.5 weeks year over year.
• Ontario: 11-week average, 10-week median, +0.8 weeks year over year.
• Nova Scotia: 12-week average, 11-week median.
• New Brunswick: 13-week average, 12-week median.
• Alberta: 14-week average, 12-week median, +1.2 weeks year over year.
• Saskatchewan: 15-week average, 13-week median.
• Manitoba: 16-week average, 14-week median.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 18-week average, 16-week median.
• Prince Edward Island: 20-week average, 18-week median.

Ontario Health publishes its own diagnostic imaging wait times for CT and MRI through a public reporting tool that allows searches by location and procedure.

Capacity and management context

Provincial capacity has expanded substantially over two decades. The Ontario Association of Radiologists notes that in 2003 there were only 5 MRI scanners in Ontario, compared with over 125 operating scanners today, alongside approximately 200 CT scanners serving a population of more than 13 million. As of October 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Health reported that outpatient CT and MRI wait lists on average exceeded the 28-day maximum recommended 90th-percentile wait time, with average MRI scanner waits ranging from about 35 days at the shortest to about 140 days at the longest.

A national survey of public MRI facilities in Canada found that 96% used some method to triage MRI requests, but only 42% had documented guidelines for prioritization, and none employed quality assurance methods to ensure guidelines were followed. Sixteen per cent of centres were not able to meet their target timelines for any prioritization category, and 45% met target times only for some categories. The survey also reported that MRI scanners were routinely used on weekends in 46 of 79 (58%) responding facilities, while only two centres (3%) routinely operated their scanners on a 24/7 basis.

Where private-pay markets exist

Provincial private-pay MRI markets tracked on MRIPrices.ca include private MRI clinics in Alberta, private MRI clinics in British Columbia, private MRI clinics in Quebec, and private MRI clinics in Saskatchewan. Published Alberta clinic fee schedules currently list common exams such as brain MRI pricing in Alberta between $650 and $850 CAD, and knee MRI pricing in Alberta between $675 and $850 CAD, based on nine sampled clinics. Additional coverage is available at MRI news.