Housing

NOSM University Residents traveling for any core rotations or electives (2 weeks or greater) within Northern Ontario are provided with housing. The Housing Unit is dedicated to taking care of your housing needs during your time away from your home base. Residents should direct any housing questions to: housing@nosm.ca.

Key Points:

1. Housing is provided to Residents for all mandatory CORE rotations outside of their home base and for elective rotations (2 weeks or greater and within the same community) in Northern Ontario where housing is available and up to a maximum of six blocks. NOSM University Housing will be arranged if there are any mandatory CORE rotations cannot be completed within the learner’s home base in Ottawa. Housing is not provided for mandatory CORE rotations within the resident’s home base.
2. Rental of NOSM University housing in Toronto and Ottawa areas can be requested for a non-mandatory CORE or elective rotation if available, which will be allocated for a fee. Availability can only be confirmed 60 days prior to the start of the rotation. Residents are asked to contact Housing between 60 days prior to the start of their rotation to see if NOSM University housing is available.
3. Housing for CORE rotations in Ottawa and Toronto-based areas is a blended approach of NOSM U managed housing and self-arranged housing. Please refer to Ottawa and Toronto Housing Policy for details and eligibility.
4. NOSM University maintains furnished and conveniently located housing units in distributed clinical-engaged learning sites throughout Northern Ontario. NOTE: These are shared housing for multiple levels of NOSM University learners and Residents may be sharing the housing with learners of a different gender and from other programs or Universities.
5. NOSM University Housing meets standards which address learner safety and comfort i.e. private bedroom with lock, standard furnishings, cleaned premises, high-speed internet, emergency contact numbers (posted in PaNDa), and compliance with legislative requirements.
6. Housing Agreements must be signed and returned to the Housing Unit as requested.

Once housing is assigned for your placement, you will receive (1) a Letter of Confirmation for your housing, (2) the Apartment/House Information and (3) provided with information on how to access a set(s) of keys for your housing within the community (refer to your confirmation email). It is important to read this information carefully, as rules and regulations apply differently depending on the unit in question.

Where Residents require housing outside of their home base exceeding two or more rotations in an academic year, they may choose to arrange their own housing with a reimbursement of a maximum of $1,100.00 per four-week block (for housing within the NOSM U catchment area) and/or a maximum of $2,000.00 per four-week block (for housing within Ottawa and Toronto based areas). When a resident chooses to coordinate their own housing, this choice will remain in effect for the entire duration of their residency (they will not be able to switch to NOSM University supplied housing). Residents must advise their Program Coordinator if they wish to switch to “Option Two” housing.

For further information, please review the Housing Option Two Policy and the Housing Option Two Agreement

All Residents must submit original signed rental and utility receipts for reimbursement to their Program Coordinator; rent will not be pre-paid by NOSM University.

If a resident is living with family or friends, they must submit rental receipts along with proof of payment (copy of: processed cheque endorsed on the back; money order; bank transfer). Please note, payments cannot be made in cash to family or friends. When submitting receipts, provide the name & address of the homeowner and the number of months the resident will be living with the individual.

Note: Reimbursement requests for Housing Option Two must comply with the NOSM University Travel and General Expenses Protocol and be submitted within the timeframes outlined in the Protocol.

Ottawa and Toronto Housing Policy found here.

NOSM University Residents travelling to perform CORE rotations in Ottawa or Toronto based areas will be provided with the ability to find self-arranged housing when NOSM U housing is not available. If NOSM U housing is not available, eligible NOSM U Residents will be able to receive a reimbursement of up to a maximum of $3,000.00 per four-week block to offset their housing costs incurred when securing their own housing accommodations when performing CORE or selective placements in the following sites:

• Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto;
• Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto;
• St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto;
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto;
• Trillium Health Partners in Toronto;
• CHEO in Ottawa;
• The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa;
• In Barrie, ON for select placements.

The reimbursement process for Ottawa and Toronto based areas when performing self-arranged housing will follow the same reimbursement process as outlined in Housing Option 2. Please carefully review the attached policy for further details on the scheduling eligibility and reimbursement process.

All PGME Resident’s reimbursement requests should be submitted via the Expense Reimbursement online platform under the myNOSM section of the NOSM University website and follow the submission steps/instructions listed there. It is not called travel as it is for ANY learner expense reimbursement.

Processing time for reimbursement is generally ten business days from receipt of a correct and complete claim. Incomplete and missing documentation will cause delays in payment until the correct information is received.

We recognize that many Residents need timely access to mail while they are away from their homebase on rotation. It should be noted that NOSM University Housing does not oversee or intentionally provide mailboxes as part of arranging housing.

Where Residents do not have access to door to door mail delivery while away from their homebase, it is recommended that Residents purchase a temporary P.O. Box from Canada Post for the duration of their stay.

Costs incurred for P.O. Box rentals will be reimbursed by the PGME Office as per the NOSM University Travel Management and General Expenses Policy via our Expense Reimbursement online platform.

Key considerations:

•  Canada Post Boxes are a convenient and secure means for learners to receive mail as well, Canada Post has a multitude of convenient locations and has a presence in all of our communities and many are accessible 24/7.
• As learners would be required to complete mail re-direction forms, any unclaimed mail would be the responsibility of Canada Post and be returned to the learner’s permanent address.

Questions? Please contact postgrad@nosm.ca for assistance.