Why hospital ERs are so overcrowded – it's not patients' fault

Recent coverage in the Citizen of negative patient experiences in local hospital emergency departments has prompted me to provide some necessary context.
As an emergency/family physician, I have worked in a number of emergency departments in Canada since completing my internship in 1979. I was the chief of the emergency department at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital (Perth site) for 28 years. I have also been the president of the national specialty society, the Canadian Association o