🍁 🇨🇦 Home Care & LTC · Canada · GP-written

Canada's home care and long-term
care system, everywhere in Canada.

Fourteen plain-English guides — all 10 provinces and all 3 territories, plus the federal Disability Tax Credit — which health authority to contact, how assessment works, what it costs, and how to move faster when things are urgent.

🩺 Written by a GP 📚 14 guides 🔗 Provincial, territorial + federal sources Updated August 2026
Wayfinding

Which province or territory are you in?

Home care and long-term care are run provincially and territorially in Canada, not federally — so the right guide depends entirely on where the person needing care lives.

All guides

Every province and territory, one at a time

Read the guide for your own province or territory — the systems don't transfer between them, so there's no need to read the others.

BRITISH COLUMBIA Home and community care in BC — how the system works

Which health authority to contact, what the assessment involves, and what it costs.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 8 min
ALBERTA Continuing care — home care, supportive living, and long-term care

How Alberta's system works under the new 2024 Act, how AHS assesses need, and what supportive living and LTC cost.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 9 min
SASKATCHEWAN Home care and long-term care via the SHA

Who to call, how assessment works, what it costs, and how to move faster when it's urgent.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 8 min
MANITOBA Home care and Personal Care Homes in Manitoba

Which regional health authority to contact, how Winnipeg differs from rural MB, and the pathway through the system.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 8 min
ONTARIO Ontario long-term care waitlists — how the system works

What happens after a hospital admission, crisis vs regular waitlist, bed offer rules, and current wait times.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 9 min
QUEBEC Navigating senior care in Quebec — CLSC, CHSLD, and the system

The CLSC is your entry point for home support, CHSLD placement, and the Maison des aînés. What to expect and how long the waits are.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 9 min
NEW BRUNSWICK Home care and long-term care in New Brunswick

How the Extra-Mural Program works, applying for a nursing home, and the caregiver supports that are (and aren't) actually available.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 8 min
NOVA SCOTIA Home care and long-term care in Nova Scotia

Requesting a Continuing Care assessment, how Single Entry Access placement works, and the Caregiver Benefit Program.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 8 min
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Home care and long-term care in PEI

Contacting your regional Home Care office, the long-term care waitlist, and the LTC Subsidy Program.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 7 min
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR Home care and long-term care in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Home Support Program, Personal Care Homes vs. Long-Term Care, and the Caregiver Benefit.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 9 min
YUKON Home care and long-term care in Yukon

The Continuing Care and Home Care programs, the four Whitehorse-area care homes, and the honest reality for rural communities.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 7 min
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Home care and long-term care in the Northwest Territories

Home and Community Care via the NTHSSA, the territory's long-term care homes, and the Territorial Admissions Committee waitlist.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 7 min
NUNAVUT Home care and long-term care in Nunavut

Community health centres, the new Rankin Inlet elder care centre, and how medical travel works when care isn't available locally.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 7 min
FEDERAL The Disability Tax Credit for caregivers in Canada

How the transfer works, whether you need the DTC to get the Caregiver Credit, and how to claim retroactive amounts.

🩺 GP written · ⏱ 9 min
Coverage note: these guides now cover all 10 Canadian provinces and all 3 territories — every part of Canada. If something has changed since a guide was last verified, please let us know so we can check it.
Quick answers

Common questions

Which provinces and territories does this hub cover?
All of Canada — every province (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador) and every territory (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) — plus the federal Disability Tax Credit which applies across the whole country.
Is this official Canadian government information?
No — CarerCompass is an independent, GP-authored site, not a government service. Every factual claim in these guides is sourced from the relevant provincial health authority or Government of Canada page and linked in that article's sources box. For your specific situation, always confirm current details directly with your provincial health authority or the CRA.
I don't know which system applies to me — where do I start?
Start with the guide for the province or territory where the person needing care actually lives. Home care, long-term care, and assessment processes are run provincially and territorially in Canada, not federally, so the right guide depends entirely on location, not on your own province or territory if it's different.
Does the Disability Tax Credit apply everywhere in Canada?
Yes — the DTC is a federal tax measure administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), so it works the same way regardless of which province or territory you live in. See the dedicated DTC guide above for how the credit and transfer work.
What if my family member is about to be discharged from hospital?
If you're in Ontario, start with the LTC waitlist guide — it covers the crisis vs regular waitlist distinction and bed offer rules that matter most right after a hospital stay. In other provinces, your province's guide above explains who to contact first.
Other free tools

While you're here

General information only — not medical, legal, or financial advice. These guides explain how Canadian provincial and federal systems work in plain English. They do not replace advice from your provincial health authority, the CRA, a qualified advisor, or your own physician. Programme details, contact numbers, and processes change — always verify current information directly with the relevant government body before acting.