Healthcare: doctors, clinics, and health cards
Steps, in order
- Register for your province's health plan and carry the card with you; without it, clinics may charge you directly.
- Find a family doctor early, before you are sick: ask a settlement agency, a newcomer clinic, or your province's doctor-finder service, and expect a waitlist in many cities.
- For urgent but non-emergency questions, use your province's health line (find it through 211 or your province's health ministry page) rather than an emergency department.
- If you are a temporary resident, check whether your province covers you and what your employer or school insurance covers; do not assume public coverage applies from day one.
Rules differ by province: Health coverage is provincial or territorial: what is covered, how to register, and any waiting period depend on your province. Dental, vision, and prescription coverage are generally not part of the public plan and are often covered by employer benefits or private insurance. Start at your province's official site (below), then follow its links to health, driving, tenancy or schools — never assume one national rule.
Province official sites — start here
- British Columbia — official site
- Alberta — official site
- Saskatchewan — official site
- Manitoba — official site
- Ontario — official site
- Quebec — official site
- New Brunswick — official site
- Nova Scotia — official site
- Prince Edward Island — official site
- Newfoundland and Labrador — official site
- Yukon — official site
- Northwest Territories — official site
- Nunavut — official site
Official & finder links
Check before you act: Health-line numbers and doctor-finder services are provincial and were not verified province by province; the page must list only verified provincial links at build time.
General information only — not legal or financial advice. Rules, benefit amounts and local services change. Use the official or finder links above to confirm details before acting. No local addresses or phone numbers are listed here on purpose — use the national finders above for your area.