Everything you need to know about living, working and studying in Edmonton

Alberta health coverage

As a temporary resident, you can get Alberta health coverage. However, you must meet certain criteria, such as intending to live in Alberta for 12 months. Learn more.

Travel health insurance remains mandatory for the entire duration of your IEC work or study permit. This is because provincial health care does not meet certain IRCC requirements, such as repatriation.

Walk-in clinics

If you need to renew a prescription or see a doctor, you must go to a “walk-in clinic”. Be warned that wait times can be long; get there before opening to be among the first in line.

There is a shortage of general practitioners, both in Canada as a whole, and in the province of Alberta.

To find a walk-in clinic, check out the Medicentres website. This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives a good overview.

For hospitals, you can still go to the emergency room but:

• Just like in hospitals in other parts of the world, being seen that day is not guaranteed; they act based on urgency of the medical issue.
• Wait times are notoriously long in hospitals. An eight-hour wait is not shocking to Canadians.

As long as your issue is minor, always go to walk-in clinics over the hospital!

Prescriptions

If you need to renew a prescription, try to bring a copy of the prescription from your home doctor, and any other important documents or notes corresponding to your treatment. Assume that your medication may have another name in Canada.

The best thing to do is to bring the maximum allowed stock of medication with you. If you choose to send it by post instead of carrying it in-person, it is best to include a copy of the prescription, in case your package is checked.

You will find pharmacies to collect your prescription easily. They are generally located in grocery stores and supermarkets (Walmart, Safeway, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc.).