Emergencies and urgent care

Medical emergencies don't wait for paperwork, and Canada's emergency healthcare system is designed to help anyone who needs urgent care right now. Whether you've just arrived or are waiting for your provincial health card to activate, here's what you need to know about 911, emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and how costs work across the country.

When to Call 911

911 is Canada's universal emergency number, free to call from any phone and available everywhere in the country. When you dial 911, a dispatcher will ask whether you need police, fire, or ambulance and will send the right responders to help you.

Call 911 if there is an immediate threat to someone's life, health, or safety. This includes life-threatening medical emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes, severe injuries, difficulty breathing, chest pain, signs of stroke, or severe allergic reactions. You should also call 911 for fires, gas leaks, active crimes, serious car accidents with injuries, severe bleeding, and situations where someone is unconscious or not breathing.

If you're unsure whether something is an emergency, go ahead and call 911. The dispatcher is trained to determine whether immediate action is needed. Don't worry about making a mistake—call takers help you figure out the right course of action. Never hang up on a 911 call; stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you it is safe to do so.

Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care Clinic

Canada's healthcare system offers two levels of facility for when you need immediate care but want to know which one to visit.

Hospital Emergency Departments

Hospital emergency departments (ERs) are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are the place for life-threatening or severe conditions. When you arrive, you'll go through a process called triage, where a nurse quickly assesses your condition and assigns you a priority level. Patients are treated based on the urgency of their condition, not the order in which they arrived—this means someone who comes in after you with a more critical injury may be seen first.

Emergency care is provided to everyone, regardless of health insurance or immigration status. However, wait times at ERs can be quite long, often 4 to 8 hours or more depending on the facility and how many patients are being treated.

Urgent Care Clinics

Urgent care centres (UCCs) are designed for conditions that need prompt attention but are not life-threatening. These include sprains and strains, minor fractures, cuts requiring stitches, high fevers, ear and eye infections, urinary tract infections, and asthma flare-ups. UCCs typically have much shorter wait times than emergency rooms, often 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Visits to urgent care centres for medically necessary services are covered by provincial health insurance when you present a valid health card. There are generally no out-of-pocket costs for the visit itself when you have coverage, though some services like splints or supplies may have additional charges.

Ambulance Fees by Province

One surprising fact many newcomers discover: calling an ambulance in Canada is not always free. Ambulance services are not covered under the Canada Health Act, so each province decides whether and how much to charge residents. Fees vary significantly across the country and can add up quickly if you need emergency transportation.

Here's what ground ambulance fees look like for provincial residents across Canada:

• Ontario: $45 for residents with a valid Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card; $240 for non-residents or residents without a valid card
• Quebec: $125 basic fee plus $1.75 per kilometre travelled for residents; $400 plus $1.75 per kilometre for non-residents
• Alberta: $0 to $385 depending on location, with free service for seniors
• Manitoba: Up to $250 (reduced from higher rates in previous years)
• New Brunswick: $130.60 for residents; $650 for non-residents
• British Columbia: Not an insured benefit under the BC Medical Services Plan; residents with valid coverage pay reduced, subsidized fees; non-residents pay the full cost
• Nova Scotia: Free for residents with a valid health card; fees apply to non-residents
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Partially subsidized for residents with a valid MCP (Medical Care Plan) card

If you're transferred by ambulance from one hospital to another (an inter-facility transport), you may be charged separately in some provinces like Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador. Air ambulance fees are significantly higher and can run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Emergency Care Before Your Health Card is Active

One of the most important things to understand as a newcomer is that Canada has a waiting period for provincial health coverage in many provinces. This gap between arrival and when your coverage kicks in can leave you vulnerable to high medical bills if you get sick or injured.

Provincial Waiting Periods

When you arrive in Canada as a permanent resident, international student, or temporary worker, you must apply for a provincial health card right away. However, coverage doesn't start immediately in most provinces. Each province has its own rules:

• Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Yukon have mandatory waiting periods of up to 3 months. If you land on January 15, your coverage typically doesn't start until April 1.
• Alberta and Saskatchewan have eliminated waiting periods entirely, offering coverage from the day you arrive or the day you apply.
• Other provinces fall somewhere in between, with some offering immediate coverage and others requiring you to wait.

This means that for potentially three months after you arrive in Canada, you are not covered by provincial health insurance. During this time, a visit to a walk-in clinic can cost $80–$150 out of pocket, an emergency room visit can cost $500–$2,000 or more, and an ambulance ride can cost $400–$800 depending on your province.

Emergency Care Coverage During the Waiting Period

Even during the waiting period, emergency care will not be denied to you. Hospital emergency departments are open to everyone and will treat you in a life-threatening situation. However, you will be billed for the full cost of treatment. If you need emergency care before your provincial coverage starts, the hospital will invoice you for the service. You are responsible for payment, even if someone else called 911 on your behalf.

Some provinces and territories offer the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides coverage for urgent or essential health care to certain eligible groups, including resettled refugees and people in need of protection. Check whether you qualify based on your immigration status.

Private Insurance During the Waiting Period

The best protection during the waiting period is private health insurance for newcomers. Many insurance companies offer affordable plans specifically designed for people waiting for provincial coverage. These plans typically cost between $75–$200 per month and cover emergency medical care, hospitalization, and sometimes prescription drugs. Some plans start as low as $2 per day.

When shopping for coverage, look for a plan that includes emergency room visits, ambulance services, hospital stays, and medications. You can buy this insurance before you land in Canada or shortly after you arrive. Make sure the policy starts on your arrival date and ends when your provincial coverage begins.

Coverage When Traveling Between Provinces

If you are an Ontario resident visiting Alberta and you need emergency care, your home province's health card will cover urgent or emergency medical services. Provinces have reciprocal billing agreements; the hospital in Alberta will bill your home province's insurance plan (OHIP in this case), not you. However, these agreements cover only emergency and urgent care, not elective procedures, and billing occasionally gets confused, resulting in bills months later that you may need to dispute.

What to Bring to the Hospital

When you go to an emergency room or urgent care centre, bring the following:

• Photo identification (passport, PR card, or driver's license)
• Your provincial health card if you have one
• Private insurance details or proof of coverage
• A list of current medications and any allergies
• Contact information for an emergency contact

When you arrive, you'll go through registration where staff will ask for your contact details and coverage information. If you don't have provincial coverage, tell them that you understand you may be billed for the visit. This doesn't mean you'll be turned away; emergency care is provided to everyone. The billing is simply sorted out after your medical needs are taken care of.

Key Takeaways for Newcomers

• Call 911 for any life-threatening emergency. It's free and available everywhere in Canada.
• Know the difference: ERs for life-threatening conditions; urgent care for non-emergency problems that need same-day treatment.
• Ambulance fees vary by province and can be substantial. Don't let cost concerns prevent you from calling 911 in a true emergency.
• Apply for your provincial health card immediately upon arrival.
• Expect a waiting period of up to 3 months in many provinces before your coverage starts.
• Buy private insurance to cover the waiting period gap—it's affordable and can protect you from thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills.
• Emergency care will be provided to you even without coverage, but you will be billed.
• If you receive a bill during your waiting period or a large ambulance bill, ask about payment plans or hardship programs.