New research by SecondStreet.org found the average score of major hospitals in Canada for 2025 was just 2.88 stars (out of five). Yes, that’s right, many Canadians would take a pass on a restaurant with such a low score, but we often have no other choice when it comes to our hospitals.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are clear options to improve the health care services available for Canadians. More on that in a moment, but first, the findings:
Just like last year, analysis of nearly 9,000 comments left by patients reveals a nation that is frustrated by long wait times. This was by far the most common type of comment left – patients often noting they waited “eight hours,” “ten hours” and longer. One patient even said, “don’t bother coming to ER if you are conscious though…gave up after a 14 hour wait. Easier and faster to book a plane to South America/Europe and get treated there.”
Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg was the lowest ranked hospital out of the 84 hospitals studied, earning less than two stars. One patient noted, “What a terrible place to go if you’re experiencing a medical emergency. I was so happy to be called after two hours, only to be put in a room for eight hours with no doctor checking on me … it needs to be shut down.”
Another said, “they are just chit chatting and we have been waiting inside for more than 10 hours with horrible pain.”
To be sure, not all the comments about this hospital, and others across the country, were negative. For instance, one user had this to say about Seven Oaks, “front information desk very helpful. Ultrasound department very kind and efficient.” Users sometimes remarked about other hospitals delivering “excellent” care. The problem in Canada is not that patients never have positive experiences with the health system, the problem is that far too often the experience is the opposite.
British Columbia hospitals had the highest average score among Canadian provinces, earning slightly over three stars. While it’s better than other provinces, a three-star rating (out of five) leaves a lot of room for improvement – and keep in mind that Google doesn’t allow users to leave a zero-star rating,
One hospital in B.C., however, really stood out – Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver. This provider once again earned the highest score in Canada – an impressive 4.25 stars. The Catholic hospital has been around for over a century and is now part of Providence Health Care, a non-profit provider. They were kind of enough to welcome our think tank for a visit this past March to learn more about the secret to their success.
One factor seems to be St. Joseph’s independent nature – the hospital came together not because a government bureaucrat decided to recommend building a new hospital, but because nuns decided to establish a facility to help the city’s disadvantaged Chinese community. During the Aids crisis in the 1980s, the hospital again showed its dedication to helping patients, welcoming those with the virus while other facilities turned them away. Needless to say, this is a mission-driven organization – the drive to help patients is part of the hospital’s DNA.
We also heard again and again that staff are trained to focus on what patients are saying – do they want a bath today? What would help them feel better? Etc. This may sound like common sense, but many Google reviews from other hospitals describe frustration with staff not listening.
Staff at Mount Saint Joseph also said they felt listened to by their managers, creating an environment where staff feel empowered to improve services. Considering Mount Saint Joseph’s sister hospital, St. Paul’s, also was a top-ranked facility in Canada, it’s clear that Providence Health Care is onto something when it comes to providing quality care.
One solution to improve care in Canada would be for lower-performing hospitals in Canada to contact providers like Providence Health to learn more about what they’re doing right. Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto – the only other four star hospital in Canada – is another facility worth examining.
The other lesson here is the benefits that come from when governments partner with third parties. In this case, the government is still funding health care for patients, it’s just using a non-profit provider to deliver treatment. While this is true of many hospitals across Canada, the independent nature of St. Joseph’s Hospital clearly shapes its mission, informs the attitudes of its staff and caregivers, and has a demonstrable positive impact on the patients it serves.
While the precise nature of what separates the top-performing hospitals from the worst needs further investigation, one thing is clear, Google scores are another indicator that show Canadian patients – and even staff – are overwhelmingly frustrated with the status quo. Reform can’t come soon enough.
Colin Craig is the President of SecondStreet.org, a Canadian think tank and Bacchus Barua is the organization’s Research Director.
This column was originally published in The Financial Post on 30 July, 2026.
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