[microcolonel]

Having unfortunately needed hospitals in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto; I can tell you that a 45 minute wait for anything (including scheduled appointments!) would be a near miracle. It's nice that 45 minutes is what you get in Yukon, glad it works there. :- )

I'm still waiting to be called by a specialist for something I ran out of my prescription for two months ago. They simply never scheduled what they said they would schedule. I had to call the ER one week after the fact to get them to actually fax the request to the specialist, because they neglected to; then I had to call the specialist to acknowledge the fax, and after all that I still haven't received a call from them. I ended up researching the condition and treating myself, but I could have been wrong and done more damage; pharmaceuticals could also have been a safer approach.

In Calgary waits were a bit better, only about 3 hours instead of 4-5; but I needed stitches both times I went to an ER there.

The condition of the healthcare system is not for lack of trying, my own mother worked at hospitals for most of my childhood, and I know plenty of people who work in medicine; they all seem to try their best, but the chronic lack of oversight/accountability and lack of competition means that things just continue to fester. It's frankly amazing that we've survived this long and this well without a private system.