Resources

This page is intended to help you find links and information that might be helpful to you during your time at the Innis College Residence.

Healthcare

OHIP

Domestic students likely already have OHIP and can access it. If you do not, or if you are looking to apply for it, check on the links in the International Student section of this page. 

UHIP

The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is an opt-out program. You can ONLY opt-out if you already have some other type of insurance. If you have OHIP or something else you can go to the Center For International Experience (also called CIE) website and find out how to remove it from your invoice. You will get a refund if you choose to do this. Keep in mind, however, that not everything is covered under OHIP and UHIP can be helpful for some students in addition to their other insurance plan.

We highlight a few important things that UHIP covers below. Some important ones are dental (which gets you free or reduced fees on wisdom tooth removal, checkups, and cleanings), mental health care (which provides 100$ per session for up to 15 sessions each year), travel services (like vaccinations and other visits). Other services may be covered like prescription drugs, vaccinations, chiropractors, speech therapists, naturopaths and homeopaths, acupuncture and massage therapy, podiatrists and chiropodist. You can get free or discounted eyeglasses, contact lenses, or eye exams as well. 

Overall, the IRC would simply like to show that UHIP covers quite a lot of things so if you have UHIP (meaning you have not specifically opted out of it) you can submit claims through this process

General Healthcare

Generally, students can stop by the Koffler student center where U of T health and wellness is housed. Below are just some of their services:

The best way to make an appointment is to call 416-978-8030. They are usually open 9 am-5 pm on weekdays and there is sometimes a wait before a receptionist can take your call. They will help you make an appointment when you call.

You can submit reimbursements through this process if you have UHIP.

Mental Health

Mental health visits are covered under UHIP. You get 100$ per session and you get 15 sessions per year. After each session, you can upload the bill to the GreenShield website and they will mail you a reimbursement. You can also set up direct deposit on the website if that is easier for you.

If you are looking for a therapist, LinkMentalHealth is a great website that will help you find one covered by UHIP based on your preferences and it lists the prices that each of them charge. The link mental health website may not be working. If that happens, try this one instead. Because this site is meant for finding someone, we recommend you DO NOT schedule an appointment on this site. It's better to call or email the person because many of them do not update their available slots on this site so you may need to call to find their availability.

If you want your therapist to be completely free, you can simply filter by prices that are less than 100$ per session and then your 15 sessions should be completely free. Make sure they are a licensed psychotherapist, psychologist, clinical counselor, or social worker. For reference, 15 sessions is about a session every 2 weeks. Keep in mind you can't legally use an Ontario therapist while you are in another province or country. 

U of T does also have multiple on-site support staff. You can ask your don for more information, use this site, or call the front desk to speak with our Assistant Dean Community Wellness.

A note about confidentiality

Many university staff members are required to report certain things that you share with them. Unfortunately, this is largely unavoidable for safety reasons. We encourage you to reach out to your dons and to the office of student life about anything and everything you need, but we do recommend that you make sure you fully understand their confidentiality rules before disclosing anything you might not want to be shared. If, after hearing their rules around reporting things, you decide you want to seek help elsewhere, please reach out to another source like the health and wellness center, the online mental health resources, or an external medical professional. You can find these sources of help here: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca/ We would like to also note that your dons are familiar with these resources already and can help you navigate these systems so if you decide you want to speak to someone outside the university we still highly recommend asking them for help in finding a resource that works for you.

Flu Shot

In the fall and winter Ontario starts to offer the flue shot. The flu can be really serious and can be a risk for members of our community and others so you should go get your flu shot if you are medically able to. You can get it through must drug stores or through your doctor. If you have questions, do not have a health card or health insurance, or need any other help, pelase reach out to Sana at sana.imran@utoronto.ca (Assistant Dean Community Wellness). Here is the university's page on the flu vaccine: https://www.utoronto.ca/utogether/flu-shots

Therapy, Wellness, and Reimbursement Guides

These guides come from the OSL. They may be out of date, so please double check with current resources linked above. 

Innis-College-Guide-to-Accessing-Therapy.pdf
Innis-College-Guide-to-Wellness-Resources-on-Campus.pdf
Innis-College-Reimbursement-Guide.pdf

Things To Do

Have something you think we should add? Email us at info@innisirc.com with your favorite places to visit, eat, and shop or click here to submit something anonymously through the "IRC Feedback Form".

Nature

Attractions

The ROM is free on Tuesdays for students. It has quite a lot of exhibits and rotating exhibits as well. The rotating ones cost extra but you can get in to the museum itself for free.

The AGO is always free for students and anyone under the age of 25. We highly recommend the bottom floor which displays an incredible collection of miniature ships. 

An art show in the distillery district held annually. Find the dates and more info here. It's 10$ for a student ticket. 

A nice (free) botanical garden that offers 30 minute time slots to wander the gardens. 

A wacky fun museum of visual illusions.

A lovely indoor market.

An alley of street art you can check out. 

Historic castle that runs a haunted house annually. 

A collection of streets lined with thrift stores, vegetable and fruit markets, restaurants, and odd shops. Very lively on the weekends with a farmers market in the warmer months on weekends. 

Nice museum near the waterfront. 

Amusement park near toronto. 

An annual market with a small entry fee and lots of fun shops and good winter vibes!

Food

Shopping

Gwartzman's art supplies, Michaels, and Above Ground Art Supplies. Above Ground (your president's favorite art store) with 3 floors of amazing supplies. It's right on the OCAD campus so there's a nice park nearby, lots of cafes, and beautiful art all around the area. 

We have Metro around the corner. We also have Galleria around the corner as well. PAT Central is another Korean grocery store nearby. For spices, teas, and other assorted items, check out Carlos House of Spice in Kensington market. There is a T&T (Asian grocery) very close by on College St. 

Bakka-Phoenix books sells only fantasy books! BMV books on Bloor is a very large book store where you can buy books on all sorts of topics and you can also sell used books to them. They also buy and sell some textbooks. 

MUJI Atrium sells a lot of clothes and house supplies but also has a nice stationary section and school supplies.


Financial Support

The Innis Registrar’s Office can help with budgeting for school and related expenses. Students can set up a financial advising appointment with the financial advisor by contacting the registrar's office.

For financial support, there is the University of Toronto Grant Application. There is a link to it from ACORN. The online application can be used by any UofT students. When Innis students complete the application, it is directed to the registrar's office and the financial aid officer reviews the application.

Students are expected to have explored all public resources for funding and government assistance (e.g. OSAP) programs, and they are expected to explored all sources of other funding such as family support, trusts, savings and study period income, but the University realizes that students often still have need after pursuing these options and the UofT Grant program is a way for the University to help. Once a student completes the form, it is forwarded to the registrar's office and they review the form, and often reach out to the student to discuss details of the form or help with general budgeting.

Printing

There are multiple printers available near Innis. The cheapest and closest printer is across the street at the Innis College Library (second floor of the Innis college building). In order to access it, you need to set it up with the IT center at Innis. Click here for more information about the printers at Innis. Make sure you load funds onto your T-card to pay for the printing.

Sidney Smith Hall

Sidney Smith Hall is the building just down the street near Robarts. It's a common building with lots of labs and classrooms on the lower floors and a cafe/study area on the main floor. They also have a very useful website which we highly recommend scrolling through. For example, their program toolkit is a fantastic place to start if you want to start the process of choosing a program.

International Students

Being an international student can be really hard and overwhelming especially in the first few months. Please feel free to reach out to us or your dons if you need any support. 

Your main point of contact as an international student is the Center For International Experience (also called CIE). Their building is south of us on St. George St. 

Health Card

Click here for information on how to apply for OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan)

If you are looking into getting a health card, you will need to visit Service Ontario (depending on their COVID policy, you may not need to go in-person). The line is always extremely long so expect to wait an hour. Plan for this to be a 3-hour trip (bring some homework to do while you wait). 

Read the documents required very carefully. 

Bank Account

Getting a bank account can seem overwhelming but is simple once you have chosen which bank and which card you would like to use. Keep in mind that in Canada, like many other countries, students don't usually have to pay for credit or debit cards. If a bank is trying to charge you money for an account, ask them if they have a student account available for you and apply for that one instead. They may ask you for proof that you are a student. Your T-Card should work to prove that, but you can also download a confirmation of enrollment document on Acorn. 

SIN Number

A SIN number (Social Insurance Number) is useful to help you get a bank account, pay your taxes, and you may need it if you decide to get a job in Canada. Applying for one is very easy and does not take long. Click here for information about how to apply for a SIN number

Here are some of the documents they may ask you for:

Learning Strategist 

Email Meghan Littleljohn (meghan.litteljohn@utoronto.ca) to schedule an appointment with her. She is a learning strategist whose job is to provide academic coaching that focuses on building strategies and strengths that can help you succeed.  She can help you transition to university, navigate online learning, take better notes, read more effectively, and build study habits. 

Picking A Program Of Study

We highly recommend checking out the sidney smith program toolkit which lists the arts and sciences programs availble. You can click on the A-Z list to see all the available options. 

Make sure you read "what is a program?" on that page to learn about how to apply and what each kind of program is. Some programs require a certain mark in a certain class or a certain set of pre-requisites. Some programs are open and you just apply. 

Program enrollment begins usually in March. Check here for exact dates

Stuck? Don't know what you want to do?

Here's some tips if you are stuck!

Start with a list of programs. Make a list in excel, word, or on a piece of paper. Cross out programs you definitely don't want to do. When you get down to a smaller list, check out the program list and start to click on the required classes for those programs. If you don't like the classes required, cross it off your list. This could help you reduce your list. 

Seek advice and help! Speak to the registrar or your dons. Your dons can connect you to someone in a program you might be interested in. Innis is full of knowledgeable upper year students. If we aren't in the program you are interested in, we certainly know someone who is and we are happy to answer your questions. Reach out to your don or the registrar for additional help.