OHIP Success!

Hallelujah!

It only took three attempts (I initially tried twice my first week in Canada), but today I was able to finally register for my Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card. This is the program that allows me to access the province's health care system. And it is not easy to register for if you are moving to Canada for the first time.

In order to register, I had to provide:

1. Identification (Easy enough. I have a passport.)
2. Residency Status (Easy as well. I have my Canadian permanent resident card.)
3. Proof of Ontario address. (PROBLEM!)

The problem with the third item is that there are only a few items they are willing to accept as proof of address. They include:

1. Employment pay stub (I am funemployed. So no can-do.)
2. Home telephone or cable bills with my name and address on them. (We are in temporary housing till August. So can't go with this.)
3. Ontario Drivers License (I still have an Arizona drivers license. And the state of Arizona DMV system is a douche bag of a system. They make it difficult to transfer for your license to a foreign country. So when I do finally get a car, I will have to re-sit the driving test.)
4. Bank account statement, with name and address on it.

The last option is what I went with... But I had to wait till my bank shipped me my paper statement. And that took a full month. So, the process itself wasn't a pain... But meeting the criteria for the system's application process was a pain in the ass.

But now I am good to go. My coverage begins in late August. (It takes 60 days for it to go into effect.)