Our office is here to help! Contact us for assistance with any provincial matter and see the links below for more information on navigating provincial services and programs.
ODSP and Ontario Works
You can apply for ODSP online. Learn more here.
If you are already receiving ODSP, and you are facing a problem or issue with your ODSP file or income, please reach out to your caseworker and/or local ODSP office first. It is important that they have the opportunity to try to assist you.
In Parkdale--High Park, our two local ODSP offices are ODSP Parkdale and ODSP Lawrence Heights.
Parkdale:
340 Dufferin Street, Toronto, M6K 1Z9
Phone: 416 531 6001 Fax: 416 531 2280 TTY: 416 531 3028 |
[email protected]
Mailing address: PO Box 3399 Stn Main, Markham, ON, L3R 6J2
Lawrence Heights:
786 Lawrence Ave West, Toronto, M6A 0B5
Phone: 416-212-6757 Fax: 416-212-7227 TTY: 416-212-7248 |
[email protected]
Mailing address: PO Box 3399 Stn Main, Markham, ON, L3R 6J2
If you live in Parkdale--High Park and have reached out to your caseworker and local ODSP office, and you have not received a response or your issue is not resolved, our office may be able to advocate on your behalf. Please reach out to us by email and provide your name, ODSP number, and details about the issue you are experiencing. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Health Care and OHIP
A resident of Ontario must have a health card to show that he or she is entitled to health care services paid for by OHIP.
Eligibility for OHIP
Ontario residents are eligible for provincially funded health coverage (OHIP). Generally, to be eligible for Ontario health coverage you must be:
- A Canadian citizen, permanent resident or among one of the newcomer to Canada groups who are eligible for OHIP as set out in Ontario’s Health Insurance Act ; and
- Physically present in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period; and
- Physically present in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately after establishing residency in the province; and
- Make your primary place of residence in Ontario.
There is no longer a 3-month waiting period for OHIP coverage. If you are eligible, you will have immediate health insurance coverage.
Find out more about OHIP coverage and how to get an OHIP card here.
Finding a Family Doctor – Health Care Connect
Health Care Connect helps Ontarians who are without a family health care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to find one. People without a family health care provider are referred to a family doctor or a nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients in their community. To find out more information about Health Care Connect, click here.
Finding Long-term Care or Home Care
Arranging care for yourself or a family member will involve a number of steps. This section of the website describes the process for arranging care, and the role you can play in the process. See this page for more details.
Your local Home and Community Care Support Services office can help. HCCSS branches are provincially-funded agencies that provide Home Care and Long-Term Care information and referral services in your area. The information is provided free of charge. For residents of Parkdale--High Park, our local HCCSS branch is Toronto Central HCCSS.
To find a suitable long-term care home, this page will help you.
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing in Toronto is managed through the municipality. As the provincial representative, our office does not have access to any of the City's waitlists.
To apply for affordable housing, we encourage you to reach out as soon as possible to a local Housing Help Location. These agencies can help you apply for Toronto Community Housing, Rent-Geared-to-Income, the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit, and even, in some cases, low-cost market rental housing.
If you require supportive housing, you may need to submit applications to other waitlists. You can find out more about that here.
If you are behind on your rent payments, and you are in danger of eviction due to non-payment of rent, you may want to check out the Toronto Rent Bank.
Family Responsibility Office
If you have concerns about your child support or spousal support file with the Family Responsibility Office, please reach out to your Family Responsibility Office contact first. They are best placed to answer your questions and concerns.
If, however, you have reached out to FRO and you have not heard back, or your issue is not resolved, we may be able to advocate to the Ministry on your behalf. Please email our office with your name, address, FRO file number, and a description of the issue you are experiencing, and we will respond as soon as possible.
Education and OSAP
Your first point of contact for help with applying for OSAP is the Financial Aid Office of the school you are applying to. Out-of-province students can get help by calling 1-877-OSAP411 (1-877-672-7411) during business hours.
Find out more about how OSAP can help you pay for your education.
It is important to always check your OSAP message center in your online OSAP account. OSAP deadlines cannot be extended or waived, and if you miss an important message about requested documentation and/or deadlines due to not checking your message center in the OSAP portal, you may miss out on funding. It is the student's responsibility to check their emails and message centre so that nothing is missed.
If you are facing difficulties with your OSAP that your Financial Aid office has not been able to resolve, we may be able to help advocate for you. Please email our office with your name, address, OSAP number or OAN, name of your school, and details about the issue you are experiencing, and we will respond as soon as possible.
Drivers’ Licenses
Click here for more information.
Find your closest Service Ontario location here.
General Inquiry: 416-466-5758
Driver & Vehicle Inquiry: 1-800-387-3445
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Wednesday, Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.,
Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.,
Sat 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
If you have received a notice of medical suspension on your license, you must follow the instructions in the letter or package sent to you by the Ministry of Transportation. You may need to get a letter or a form filled out from your doctor. You may need to get certain kinds of testing done, such as a special vision test. These requirements cannot be waived by the Ministry.
If you are experiencing an issue with your Driver's License, we may be able to reach out to the Ministry of Transportation on your behalf for information or assistance. Please email our office with your name, address, Driver's License number, and a description of your issue, and we will respond as soon as possible.
Birth Certificates
Births are recorded by the province through the Office of the Registrar General, a department of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. For applications and further information, please click on the links below.
In many cases, if you need expedited service, there are options for expedited service through the links above. If you require expedited service and you are not able to do so through those links, or you need any other assistance with a birth certificate concern, please contact my community office for help.
*If the birth happened outside Ontario and within Canada, please contact the Vital Statistics Office in the province or territory where the birth took place.
How much does a birth certificate cost?
- First birth certificate (short form —2.5″ x 3.75″) $25
- Replacement birth certificate (short form) $35
- First certified copy of birth (long form — 8.5″ x 14″) $35
- Replacement certified copy of birth (long form) $75
Special Greetings and Certificates
If you or someone you know will soon be celebrating a special birthday or anniversary, or commemorating a special event, you can request special greetings by sending an e-mail to our office.
NOTE: The recipient or requestor must live in the riding, and scroll requests will only be processed if the recipient is a resident of Ontario.
Here is the criteria:
Your Member of Provincial Parliament will send a congratulatory letter on:
- Any birthday or wedding anniversary; or
- A celebratory occasion.
Requests for the MPP's greetings must be submitted as early as possible.
The Premier of Ontario will send a congratulatory letter on:
- a 40th wedding anniversary and all subsequent anniversaries; or
- an 80th birthday and all subsequent birthdays.
Requests for the Premier’s greetings must be submitted at least two (2) months in advance. Please note that congratulatory letters will not be issued more than once every five (5) years.
Commissioner of Oaths
Our office is happy to act as a Commissioner of Oaths on many provincial government documents (ex. Ontario name change forms). Please note that our staff are not notary publics, and therefore cannot notarize documents. For information about the difference between a notary public and a commissioner of oaths, and for information on how to find a notary public or a commissioner of oaths, please see here.
Please note: our office does not commission legal documents or affidavits, wills, or vaccination exemption forms. We are also not authorized to certify true copies of documents.
If you need a document signed by one of our commissioners, please email us with your name, address, and the type of document you need commissioned, and we will respond as soon as possible.
