I don't have a family doctor or nurse practitioner

The single most important step is to get your name on Ontario's waiting list — that's Health Care Connect, and it's free. Then add your name to the local clinics that take unattached patients. Registering in more than one place is allowed and sensible; it does not count against you.

Steps to take

Register with Health Care Connect
Call Health811 at 811 (free, 24 hours a day, every day) or sign up online at health811.ontario.ca. A nurse looks for a doctor or nurse practitioner in your area who is taking patients. You'll need your Ontario health card (OHIP) number.
Put your name in at the Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic
It provides ongoing primary care to Sault residents who don't have a provider. It is not a walk-in — you register in person at 443 Northern Avenue (Sault College campus). You qualify only if you are not currently a patient of another doctor or nurse practitioner.
Ask the Superior Family Health Team if they're taking names
The Superior Family Health Team has provincial funding to attach new patients. Whether they're taking names changes over time — ask, and add your name if they are.
Use walk-in care and 811 while you wait
The wait for a permanent provider can be long. For things that come up in between, see the 'I need care today' path — walk-in clinics and the free 811 nurse line.

Papers to gather

Your Ontario health card (OHIP number)
A list of any medicines you take
A short note of your main health conditions, so the nurse can judge priority

Who to contact

Health Care Connect / Health811

Get on the provincial waiting list — free, 24/7

Phone: 811
Website: health811.ontario.ca

Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic

443 Northern Avenue — register in person, for unattached residents

Phone: 705-942-4717
Website: algomanplc.ca

Superior Family Health Team

Ask whether they're accepting new patients

Website: superiorfht.ca

Health Care Connect does not guarantee a match, and priority goes to people with the greatest health needs. Keep your contact details up to date with them so a match can reach you.

The Group Health Centre dropped me as a patient

Since 2024 the Group Health Centre has had to let go of roughly 10,000 patients. If you were de-rostered on or after May 31, 2024, the temporary Access Care Clinic bridges your care until you're matched to a new provider — it moved to Cambrian Mall in July 2026. The GHC is rebuilding with provincial funding and is taking patients back on as new providers arrive.

Steps to take

Check if the Access Care Clinic covers you
It's for GHC patients de-rostered on or after May 31, 2024, who have not signed on with another doctor or nurse practitioner. Call 705-908-3875 from 8 a.m. for a same-day appointment — it isn't a walk-in, so phone before you go. The clinic moved in July 2026 and is now at Cambrian Mall, 44 Great Northern Road (Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.), not the old East Street offices. Cambrian Mall is on the Sault Loops with buses about every 15 minutes through the day.
Also register with Health Care Connect
Getting on the provincial waiting list (call 811 or visit health811.ontario.ca) is just a list — it does not count as having a provider, so it won't affect your Access Care Clinic eligibility or your place in line to be re-rostered at the GHC.
Hold off on formally joining another provider if you want to be re-rostered
As the GHC takes on new doctors and nurse practitioners, it re-rosters people from the Access Care Clinic's patient list, chosen at random. The centre says it expects to have 14,000 patients attached to a provider by early 2027 and everyone from the clinic attached by mid-2027. You only leave that pool once you actually sign on with a new provider — so weigh that before committing elsewhere.

Papers to gather

Your Ontario health card (OHIP number)
Anything showing you were a GHC patient (old appointment letter, prescription label)
A list of your current medicines

Who to contact

GHC Access Care Clinic

Cambrian Mall, 44 Great Northern Road — same-day appointments by phone, Mon–Fri 9–4 (line opens 8 a.m.)

Phone: 705-908-3875
Website: ghc.on.ca

Health Care Connect / Health811

Get on the provincial waiting list — free, 24/7

Phone: 811
Website: health811.ontario.ca

If you were de-rostered before May 31, 2024, the Access Care Clinic can't take you — register with Health Care Connect and see the 'I don't have a doctor' path. The clinic is temporary; the GHC page above has its current status and location.

I need care today and have no doctor

For something that can't wait but isn't an emergency — a bad cold that won't shift, a minor injury, a prescription refill. You don't need a family doctor to be seen.

Steps to take

Not sure how urgent it is? Call 811
Health811 has registered nurses on the line free, 24 hours a day. They'll help you decide whether to wait, see a walk-in, or go to the emergency room.
Go to a walk-in clinic
Walk-in clinics see you without a family doctor. The two below are the regular ones in town — phone numbers and hours are listed, and both are worth a quick call before you travel, because a clinic can close early once it has taken its day's patients.
If it's serious, don't wait
Chest pain, signs of a stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech), heavy bleeding, or trouble breathing — call 911 or go straight to the Sault Area Hospital emergency department.

Papers to gather

Your Ontario health card (OHIP number)
Any medicines you're taking

Who to contact

Health811 nurse line

Free health advice, 24/7

Phone: 811
Website: health811.ontario.ca

Westend Walk-in Clinic

658 Second Line W (in the Pharmasave at Goulais Ave) — Mon, Wed, Fri 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Phone: 705-450-5339
Website: westendwalkinclinic.com

Station Mall Clinic

293 Bay Street, Station Mall — Mon–Fri 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m., closed Sunday

Phone: 705-450-1715
Website: thestationmall.com

Walk-in hours and whether a clinic is accepting patients that day change often — a phone call or website check before you travel saves a wasted trip.

I just moved to Sault Ste. Marie

Get your name on the lists right away — the wait is shorter the earlier you start. The same routes apply as for anyone without a provider here.

Steps to take

Get your Ontario health card sorted first
You need an OHIP number to register for a family doctor. If you've moved from another province or country, apply for Ontario health coverage as soon as you can.
Register with Health Care Connect
Call 811 or visit health811.ontario.ca to join the provincial waiting list for a doctor or nurse practitioner near you.
Add your name at the local clinics
Register in person at the Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (443 Northern Avenue) and ask the Superior Family Health Team if they're taking new patients.

Papers to gather

Your Ontario health card (OHIP) — or your application for one
A summary of your health history and current medicines from your previous doctor, if you have it

Who to contact

Health Care Connect / Health811

Get on the provincial waiting list — free, 24/7

Phone: 811
Website: health811.ontario.ca

Algoma Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic

443 Northern Avenue — register in person

Phone: 705-942-4717
Website: algomanplc.ca

Welcome to SSM — Healthcare

Local guide to health services for newcomers

Website: welcometossm.com/live/healthcare

Finding a Family Doctor in the Soo

About these tools

What's your situation? Tap the one closest to yours.

I don't have a family doctor or nurse practitioner

Steps to take

Papers to gather

Who to contact

The Group Health Centre dropped me as a patient

Steps to take

Papers to gather

Who to contact

I need care today and have no doctor

Steps to take

Papers to gather

Who to contact

I just moved to Sault Ste. Marie

Steps to take

Papers to gather

Who to contact

Good to know

Official links