No, that's not a typo, nor a sarcastic headline. I have nothing to complain about today. Yesterday we went to College Park to apply for sOHIP and it was fast and easy.
Okay, I might complain that it was my second trip there, after an aborted attempt on Friday afternoon before which I failed to RTFM and double check the required docs, so came with a VISA statement from the bank instead of a chequing or savings account statement, lease, or other proof of address (arbitrary, yes; negotiable, no) and was sent packing – but for that I have nobody to blame but myself. To add insult to my personal injury (surely it was personal) I witnessed a gentleman urinating into the recycling bin on our way out. Oh shit, I thought, the wait times must be brutal. Poor guy's been here for hours and is so terrified of missing his turn that he just pissed in the garbage can.
So I came back yesterday with low expectations. But the system works quite well, if you speak English, at least. They have hired some interns to stand at the door and direct people to various reception desks, at which they do a preliminary check of your documents (at which point I was rejected last Friday) and give you a number. According to the sOHIP site: "Your eligibility for Ontario health coverage is not determined by whether you have a job or are unemployed, or where you pay your income tax. It is based solely on your meeting one of the above citizenship or immigration categories and on you making your permanent and principal home in Ontario." Then you go sit in a big room of chairs and wait. The place is clean, cooled, and relatively quiet, compared at least to the zoo up the street at 900 Bay where we spent three sweltering days before and after our wedding to get a fast-track marriage certificate back in the day (full disclosure: without checking the address I went there first on Friday, only to find they had moved). This room is much bigger, and you don't have to line up in the hallway (bonus!). We waited for about 30 minutes on a Monday afternoon. The clerk was friendly and jokey and they seem to have a good working system for taking your photo, etc. It was all over before we knew it.
Now, the real wait is for three months before the sOHIP kicks in. I can't figure out why they impose this little quarantine period (the site doesn't elaborate), but it requires you to either buy private insurance or keep your fingers crossed. We both have medical coverage from our employers, so we're okay, but I'm sure plenty of other people are left without anything but luck for the first 90 days. Which sucks. There, something to complain about, finally.
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2 comments:
I experienced a similarly positive trip to get my passport renewed back in July. 7 days before I was supposed to fly on business, I realized my passport had expired! When I showed up at the passport office in a panic, expecting to wait for 2-3 hours, it turns out there is now someone at the door who greets everyone and makes sure documents are filled out properly, etc. I think this has really helped reduce the wait time because it was late morning and I only waited about 30 minutes tops. AND, I got my passport turned around in 2 days paying a little extra for an express service. I was impressed!
Great blog, by the way! I'll be sure to point this out to any other "ungrateful immigrants" I know. :)
Allison in Toronto
Yeah, I've got nothing to complain about the service, either - it was all very good! Let's see if I have a similar experience when I go back there to apply for my Ontario driver's license (once I have all the paperwork, incl. translations, ready for that).
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