Free information for newcomers to Ontario
Navigate life and healthcare in Canada with confidence.
Clear guides for settling in Ontario, plus practical tools to help you find healthcare providers across Canada.
Just arrived in Ontario?
Your first four weeks, made simpler.
Follow a practical roadmap for documents, healthcare, housing and work. No account is needed.
Start HereWeek 1
- Apply for SIN
- Apply for OHIP
Week 2
- Find a family doctor
- Explore settlement services
Most useful actions
What do you need help with today?
The guides
Choose where you want to start.
Find somewhere to live
How renting works in Ontario, what a lease means, what your rights are as a tenant, and where to turn if you have nowhere safe to stay tonight.
7 chapters
See a doctor and get covered
How OHIP works, how to find a family doctor, when to use a walk in clinic instead of an emergency room, and how to get mental health support.
6 chapters
Find work and build a career
How hiring works in Ontario, how to write a Canadian style resume, how to get foreign credentials recognized, and the rights every worker has.
5 chapters
Get ready for the weather
What each Ontario season feels like, how to dress for it, the risks to know about, and how to prepare for storms and power outages.
5 chapters
Find Care
Looking for a healthcare provider?
Find Care is a separate directory tool for locating providers near you. Our psychiatrist map is available now, with more directories coming soon.
If you need help today
Four numbers worth saving to your phone.
Life threatening emergency
Police, fire and ambulance, at any hour.
911
Health advice from a nurse
Health811, free, day and night.
811
Community services
211 Ontario, free directory in many languages.
211
Suicide crisis helpline
Call or text, at any hour.
988
Take it with you
Download the full guidebooks as PDF files.
Print them, keep them offline, or pass them to someone who needs them. There is no cost and no sign up.
How we check information
Checked against Ontario government sources.
Every page is written from provincial and federal sources, and reviewed by the people who wrote the guidebooks.