Health care in Thunder Bay for newcomers Getting care when you need it.

1. Before you have OHIP

Ontario's health card (OHIP) has no waiting period: if you qualify, you're covered right away. Permanent residents qualify, and so do work permit holders working full time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months. Our first 30 days guide explains how to apply.

• On a study permit: students aren't on the list of people who qualify for OHIP.
• At Lakehead University: international students in an academic program are automatically enrolled in, and billed for, the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). For 2026–27 it costs $948 a year for one student.
  • A spouse and children who came with you must be enrolled too; enrolling them late can cost $500.
  • Most Thunder Bay clinics bill UHIP directly; if one doesn't, you pay and claim the money back.
• At Confederation College: ask the international office which health plan you are on and what it covers.
• Visitors don't qualify for OHIP. Buy private travel health insurance before you come, so a hospital visit doesn't turn into a large bill.
• Refugee claimants are covered by the Interim Federal Health Program. It pays for basic care such as hospital, doctor and lab visits. You pay $4 for each prescription you fill.
• Pregnancy, no OHIP: midwives are funded to care for Ontario residents in their area even without OHIP. That covers prenatal visits, the birth, postnatal care and routine lab work.
• People who come only to give birth and then leave are not covered. Neither is someone whose private insurance already pays for pregnancy care.
• Refugee HealthLine: call 1-866-286-4770 to be connected with a provider for an initial assessment and referrals. It is free. It is not an emergency line.

Sources: Government of Ontario, "Apply for OHIP and get a health card"; Lakehead University, "Mandatory health insurance"; UHIP; IRCC, "Interim Federal Health Program: Summary of coverage"; Association of Ontario Midwives, "Uninsured clients"; Settlement.Org, "Where can I get health care if I don't have OHIP?"

2. What OHIP pays for, and what it doesn't

OHIP pays for doctor visits and hospital care. It does not pay for:

• prescription drugs from a pharmacy (see section 7 for help with these);
• dental care in a dentist's office;
• glasses and contact lenses.

Ambulance trips are covered in part or in full, depending on the circumstances. Children and young people 19 and under get one full eye exam every 12 months.

Source: Government of Ontario, "What OHIP covers"

3. Northern Health Travel Grant

If you have OHIP and your main home is in the Thunder Bay district, this grant helps with travel to specialist care that is not available locally.

• You must travel at least 100 km one way to the nearest specialist, or ministry-funded facility, in Ontario or Manitoba.
• The grant pays 41 cents per kilometre of the round trip, from the centre of your town to that place.
• If you pay for a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast, treatment on or after December 1, 2024 also pays a lodging allowance: $175 (1 night), $350 (2), $475 (3), $1,025 (4 to 7), or $1,150 (8 or more).
• Staying with family or friends does not qualify for the lodging allowance. Apply online or by mail within 12 months of the treatment.
• Mail or questions: Ministry of Health, Northern Health Travel Grant, 159 Cedar Street, 7th Floor, Sudbury, ON P3E 6A5. Toll-free 1-800-262-6524.

Source: Government of Ontario, "Northern Health Travel Grant program"

4. Finding a family doctor

Join Health Care Connect, Ontario's waitlist for a family doctor or nurse practitioner, as soon as you have your health card number. Register online or call 811 (24 hours a day). The mailing address you give must be the one on your health card.

• A "Care Connector" looks for a doctor or nurse practitioner near you. People with urgent health needs are matched first.
• You get a letter when you're registered, and another when you're matched. The new clinic then calls you to book a first visit.
• Joining doesn't guarantee a doctor right away. If you've used Health Care Connect before, re-register by calling 811.
• The Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic is full, keeps no waitlist of its own, and takes new patients from Health Care Connect. So joining Health Care Connect is the way in.

Sources: Government of Ontario, "Find a family doctor or nurse practitioner"; Lakehead Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, "New patient applications"

5. Where to go when you're sick

Not sure? Call a nurse: Health811

Call 811 (TTY 711), day or night, for free advice from a registered nurse. You can also chat with a nurse online at ontario.ca.

No family doctor: NorWest walk-in clinic

NorWest Community Health Centres, 525 Simpson Street, (807) 622-8235. Its walk-in clinic is for NorWest clients and for people with no doctor or nurse practitioner elsewhere. It's free with a valid Ontario health card. Hours change, so check the walk-in clinic page before you go.

Minor problem, no doctor: virtual clinic

The North West Region Virtual Care Clinic, run by NorWest with nurse practitioners, sees people by phone or video every day, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. It's covered by OHIP. Call 1-800-409-3484 or book online.

Emergency: the hospital

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, 980 Oliver Road. The Emergency Department has its own entrance on the south side of the building. Patients are seen in order of how sick they are, not in order of arrival, so the wait can be long if you're not seriously ill. Bring your health card.

Sources: Government of Ontario, "Your health"; NorWest Community Health Centres; North West Region Virtual Care Clinic; Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, "Emergency and Critical Care"

6. Mental health

Moving countries is hard, and winter can make it harder. Asking for help is normal here, and these services are free and confidential.

In crisis, any age

Call or text 988, the Suicide Crisis Helpline, 24/7. Or call or text the CMHA Thunder Bay crisis line, 807-346-8282, or call toll free 1-866-888-8988, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. CMHA also has a mobile crisis team in the city from noon to midnight.

Not a crisis, but you need help

• Call 811 and talk to a nurse about depression or anxiety.
• ConnexOntario (1-866-531-2600, or text CONNEX to 247247) finds mental health and addiction services near you; it isn't a crisis line.
• Adults 18 and over can get free cognitive behavioural therapy through the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy Program. You can apply yourself with St. Joseph's online form, or a health provider can refer you. In the north-west it is run by St. Joseph's Care Group.

College and university students

Lakehead University students get free short-term counselling. New clients fill in an online intake form first; after that, book online or call 807-343-8361. Any Ontario college or university student can call Good2Talk, 1-866-925-5454, or text GOOD2TALKON to 686868, 24/7.

Children and young people

Kids Help Phone, 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868, 24/7, in several languages. Its RiseUp service is for African, Caribbean and Black youth: text RISE to 686868.

Sources: 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline; CMHA Thunder Bay, "Crisis Response Services"; Government of Ontario, "Mental health services"; St. Joseph's Care Group, "Ontario Structured Psychotherapy"; Lakehead University, "Counselling services"; Good2Talk; Kids Help Phone, "RiseUp"

Homesickness, the pressure to look strong, what stays private, and counselling that understands a Kenyan or Black experience are in our mental health guide.

7. Prescriptions and dental care

• 24 and under: OHIP+ pays for many prescription drugs if you have OHIP and no private drug plan. There's nothing to sign up for; show your health card at any Ontario pharmacy. If you have a private plan, through work or school, you use that instead. Coverage ends on your 25th birthday.
• 65 and over: you join the Ontario Drug Benefit automatically the month after your 65th birthday. Some younger people qualify too, for example people on Ontario Works or ODSP.
• High drug costs: the Trillium Drug Program can help, even if you have a private plan.
• Canadian Dental Care Plan: for residents with no access to private dental insurance (coverage you don't use still counts) and adjusted family net income under $90,000. You and your spouse must have filed a Canadian tax return for the previous year.
• Healthy Smiles Ontario: free preventive, routine and emergency dental care for children 17 and under in low-income households.
• Children on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program are enrolled automatically. Ontario Works families living in a First Nations community apply by mail instead.
• Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program: free routine dental care for people 65 and over who have no other dental coverage.
• The income limit is $25,480 a year or less for one person, or $42,290 or less for a couple. If you have no SIN, or you have not filed taxes, use the program's guarantor form.

Sources: Government of Ontario, "Learn about OHIP+"; Government of Ontario, "Get coverage for prescription drugs"; Government of Canada, "Canadian Dental Care Plan: Do you qualify"; Government of Ontario, "Get dental care"; Government of Ontario, "Dental care for low-income seniors"

Children's school vaccines and child care are in our families guide.

8. Travelling outside Ontario, including to Kenya

Leaving Ontario for a while

If you are outside Ontario for more than 212 days in any 12-month period, you may have to reapply for OHIP.

There are three ways to keep your coverage on a longer absence. Apply for any of them at ServiceOntario before you leave.

Each route needs:

• a valid health card;
• Ontario as your primary home;
• at least 153 days in Ontario in each of the two 12-month periods before you leave.

Sources: Government of Ontario, "OHIP coverage while outside Canada"; Government of Ontario, "Apply for OHIP and get a health card". Checked October 28, 2026.

Getting sick abroad

OHIP pays only small amounts for care outside the country:

• Emergency outpatient care: up to $50 a day or the hospital bill, whichever is less.
• Inpatient care: up to $400 a day in an operating room, ICU, CCU or neonatal/paediatric special care unit. Up to $200 a day for other care.
• Doctors: paid at Ontario rates or less.

Conditions and limits:

• The illness must be acute and unexpected, not pre-existing, and need immediate care.
• OHIP does not pay for a medical transfer home.

Source: Government of Ontario, "OHIP coverage while outside Canada". Checked October 28, 2026.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you're unsure how serious something is, call 811 and talk to a nurse. In an emergency, call 911.

Next guide: Mental health →