How to Find a Family Doctor in Ontario2026-04-14T17:53:29+00:00
How to Find a Family Doctor in Ontario
An estimated 2.5 million Ontarians do not have a family doctor. The provincial Health Care Connect program is the main way to get matched with one. Here is how it works and what you can do while you wait.
Tell us your situation and we will point you to the right resource.
What Is Health Care Connect?
Health Care Connect is a free provincial program run by Ontario Health atHome. When you register, a nurse called a "care connector" reviews your request and searches for a family doctor or nurse practitioner in your community who is accepting new patients. The program does not guarantee a match, but it puts you on the official waitlist and prioritizes people with urgent health needs.
1You register online or by phone and provide some basic health information.
2Your request is assigned to a care connector (a nurse) in your local community.
3The care connector reviews your information and assesses your health needs. People with greater medical needs are placed first.
4You wait on the local waitlist until a family doctor or nurse practitioner accepting new patients becomes available in your area.
5When a match is found, the care connector contacts you with the provider's name and contact information. The clinic will then call you to book your first appointment.
6You meet your new doctor at the first appointment, sign the roster agreement, and become officially enrolled.
Care connectors are real nurses, not call centre staff. They review your medical needs personally and can refer you to other community supports while you wait.
Who Can Register
You are an Ontario resident with a valid Ontario health card
Your mailing address and phone number associated with your health card are current
You are not currently enrolled (rostered) with another family doctor or nurse practitioner
You can register yourself, your whole family at once, or someone else with their written permission. Children and dependents can be registered through the same application as the parent or guardian.
If you are currently rostered with another family doctor (even one you do not see anymore), you need to de-roster before Health Care Connect will accept your registration. Contact your current provider's office directly to de-roster, or call ServiceOntario at 1-888-218-9929.
2Confirm you have a valid health card and that your address is up to date
3Enter your health card number, name, date of birth, current address, phone number, and email
4Answer the basic health questions (existing conditions, urgency of need, current medications)
5Add family members if registering as a household (each person needs their own health card number)
6Submit. You will receive a confirmation that your registration was received.
Online registration is available 24 hours a day. After submitting, you will be assigned to a care connector who will contact you when a match is being arranged.
Health Care Connect can be reached by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call:
1-800-445-1822 (Health Care Connect direct line) or 811 (Health Connect Ontario, ask for Health Care Connect) TTY: 1-866-797-0007
A representative will collect the same information as the online form. Have your health card ready before you call.
Other Ways to Find a Doctor
Health Care Connect is the main provincial program, but it is not your only option. You can also search for doctors directly and contact clinics yourself.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) maintains a public directory of every licensed physician in the province. You can search by city, postal code, language spoken, and whether they are accepting new patients.
2Use the Advanced Search to filter by location and "accepting new patients"
3Call clinics directly to confirm they are still accepting patients (the directory can lag behind reality)
4If they are accepting, ask about their intake process and how to enroll
This approach takes more legwork than Health Care Connect but gives you direct control over which doctor you try to enroll with.
A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced training who can diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, order tests, and refer to specialists. In Ontario, NPs provide the same primary care as family doctors and are covered by OHIP. There are dedicated nurse practitioner-led clinics across the province that often have shorter waitlists than family doctor offices.
When you register with Health Care Connect, you may be matched with either a doctor or a nurse practitioner. Both provide full primary care services.
What to Do While You Wait
Wait times for a family doctor in Ontario can be long. Here are the options for getting medical care in the meantime.
🎥 Urgent Care Ontario
Free with OHIP
Virtual nurse practitioner appointments by video call. Same-day or next-day availability for non-emergency issues like coughs, rashes, infections, prescription refills, and medical advice.
Call 811 to speak with a registered nurse for health advice. They can help you decide whether to go to a walk-in clinic, emergency room, or wait it out at home.
🏥 Walk-in Clinics
Free with OHIP
No appointment needed. Most major cities have multiple clinics. Wait times can be long, especially evenings and weekends. Use Google Maps to find one nearby and check whether they accept walk-ins that day.
🚑 Emergency Department
Free with OHIP
For urgent or potentially serious issues only (chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe injury, signs of stroke). Wait times can be many hours for non-life-threatening cases.
Urgent Care Ontario is one of the most underused resources in the province. It offers free video appointments with nurse practitioners for non-emergency issues and is often available the same day. Save the number: 1-877-620-5627.
Switching Family Doctors
If you are unhappy with your current family doctor or your doctor is retiring, you can switch. There are two ways to de-roster:
•Contact your current provider's office and let them know you want to be removed from their roster. They will process the de-rostering for you.
•Call ServiceOntario at 1-888-218-9929 (TTY: 1-800-387-5559) and ask to be removed from your current provider's roster.
Once you are de-rostered, you can register with Health Care Connect or contact a new clinic directly. There is no penalty or restriction for switching, but you may face a wait similar to first-time patients.
If you have already found a new doctor willing to take you, the new clinic can often handle the de-rostering paperwork for you when they enroll you. Ask them about it during your first visit.
If You Get Matched and Decline
If Health Care Connect matches you with a doctor and you do not want to enroll with them (for any reason: location, hours, communication style), you can decline. However, declining means you are removed from the program. To get back in, you need to register again from scratch and rejoin the waitlist.
Before declining, consider whether the issues are workable. Some people decline based on commute distance, only to find that the next match takes much longer to come through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Health Care Connect guarantee I will get a family doctor? +
No. Health Care Connect significantly improves your chances by putting you on the waitlist and prioritizing urgent needs, but the program cannot guarantee placement. Match availability depends on whether doctors in your area are accepting new patients.
How do I check the status of my Health Care Connect registration? +
Contact your assigned care connector. You should have received their contact information after registering. If you do not have it, call Health Care Connect at 1-800-445-1822 with your health card number ready.
What information do I need to give to Health Care Connect? +
Your full name, date of birth, health card number, current address, phone number, email, and basic health information (existing conditions, current medications, urgency of your need). The health information helps the care connector prioritize urgent cases and match you with appropriate providers.
Can I register a child without their own health card? +
No. Every person being registered needs a valid Ontario health card. If your child does not have one, apply for OHIP first.
What if I do not have an Ontario health card yet? +
You need to apply for OHIP first. You cannot register with Health Care Connect without a valid health card. New residents have a 3-month waiting period for OHIP coverage in most cases, but should apply immediately upon arriving in Ontario.
Will the doctor I am matched with be near my home? +
Health Care Connect tries to match you with a provider in your local community. However, in areas with severe doctor shortages, the closest available provider may be a longer drive than you would prefer. You can decline and re-register if the location does not work, but you will go back to the end of the waitlist.
