Life-threatening medical emergency
Dial 9-1-1 on your phone in the case of a life-threatening emergency.
A life-threatening emergency is when you need to:
- Respond to an urgent medical situation such as a heart attack or stroke
- Save a life
- Stop a crime
- Report a fire
- Urgently contact police, fire or ambulance service right away.
This emergency phone line is available 24 hours a day. The 911 operators will talk you through your emergency until help arrives.
If you cannot speak to the operator in English, ask for service in your language. Say the English name of the language. For example, say “Spanish” or “Chinese Cantonese.”
The 911 operator can get an interpreter over the phone for you right away. The 911 service has access to interpreters who, together, speak more than 140 languages.
It is free to call 9-1-1 from home phones, cell phones and pay phones.
Taking an ambulance
If you need to take an ambulance to a hospital, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will pay for most of the cost. You will have to pay a small fee ($45).
If the doctor who sees you at the hospital does not think that ambulance service was necessary, you must pay the full cost ($240 or more).
Emergency medical services
If you don’t need an ambulance, go to the hospital closest to your location. Ottawa has four main hospitals that offer emergency medical services 24 hours a day:
| Hospital | Address | Telephone number |
| The Ottawa Hospital | Civic campus: 1053 Carling AvenueGeneral campus: 501 Smyth RoadRiverside campus: 1967 Riverside Drive (no emergency medical services) | 613-722-7000 |
| Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (for children under age 18) | 401 Smyth Road | 613-737-7600 |
| Queensway Carleton Hospital | 3045 Baseline Road | 613-721-2000 |
| Montfort Hospital | 713 Montreal Road | 613-746-4621 |
All hospital services, including emergency medical services, are covered by OHIP or IFHP. Be sure to bring your IFHP certificate or your OHIP certificate or photo card with you to the hospital.
Non-life-threatening medical emergency
Several walk-in medical clinics, urgent-care centres and late-night pharmacies are open on evenings and weekends.
See a complete list of walk-in clinics in the Ottawa area.
Urgent Care Centres provide services for injuries and illnesses, such as infections, earaches, eye injuries, sprains, broken bones and minor burns to patients on a walk-in basis. Urgent Care Centres also have access to diagnostic equipment and laboratory facilities on an immediate basis.
See a complete list of urgent-care centres in Ottawa and its surrounding region.
Be sure to bring your IFHP certificate or your OHIP certificate or photo card with you to the clinic or urgent-care centre.
See a complete list of pharmacies that are open 24 hours a day.
Another option if you have a non-life-threatening medical emergency, but don’t know where to turn is Telehealth Ontario. It is a free and confidential phone number you can call to get health advice or information.
A Registered Nurse will take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nurse will direct you to the most appropriate service provider. Or they may put you in contact with a health professional who can advise you on your next steps.
Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
Other specialized health services
| Name of service | Telephone number | When to use service |
| Mental Health Crisis Line | 1-866-996-0991 | Professionally trained responders answer your calls in English or French 24 hours a day about crises that include: difficulty dealing with stress; overwhelming feelings; symptoms of depression; anxiety or psychosis; suicidal thoughts; or any concerns regarding your mental health or that of your loved ones. |
| Mental Health Helpline | 1-866-531-2600 | Specialists are available 24 hours a day to provide information about and referrals to mental-health services in Ontario. Available in more than 170 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek, Polish, Russian and Serbian. |
See Ottawa Public Health’s complete list of other health services, including for physical rehabilitation and specialized treatment of cancer, mental illness and heart disease.
