On behalf of those at the Centre of Rural and Northern Health Research and the Northern Health Information Partnership who conducted the survey and did the analysis, I would like to thank the Triage Project Steering Committee, the Ontario Hospital Association, the Survey Working Group, the Project Manger, and Scientific Advisor for their support. [...] In 1999, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) mandated the triage process using the five-level CTAS for emergency departments across Ontario, and in 2001, the MOHLTC mandated hospitals to collect data for the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System. [...] Based on the advice of the Triage Project Steering Committee, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) commissioned this study of triage and the use of CTAS in hospital emergency departments. [...] In the first stage of the Triage Project, information on the application of the CTAS is being gathered to: • Determine the requirements for primary and refresher courses for triage staff in emergency departments. [...] SURVEY OF TRIAGE ACTIVITIES IN ONTARIO HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS The second component of the study consisted of a survey of all Ontario ED sites.