 Contributing factors at St Boniface include boarding of admitted patients in the emergency department, no hospital over-capacity protocol, unusually long consultant response times compared to the national average, poor access to around-the-clock diagnostic testing and social services, and having the physically smallest and oldest emergency department in the region.Patient visits are expected to rise dramatically in the next few years, as smaller emergency departments in Winnipeg are closed down as part of a region-wide restructuring effort; however there are currently no plans or funding for renovation or expansion.St.