Hi i.imran. To answer your questions:
Once you receive AIP letter from the mail, you are entitled to a one year health insurance (OHIP, if you live in ontario). You can bring the AIP letter to service ontario, together with these 2:
1. any proof of address (such as billing statement or driver's license) and
2. any proof of identity with signature (such as foreighn passport)
The OHIP that they will give you is a temporary one which expires in a year. Once you complete your landing and become a confirmed permanent resident (PR), you can go back to Service Ontario and they will change your temporary OHIP to a permanent OHIP without expiry date.
On your next question about getting work permit:
Well, unfortunately, the AIP letter is not acceptable in obtaining a social insurance number (SIN). If you go to service ontario website, it tells you that you need either a PR card or a Confirmation of PR formal paper in order to get a SIN.
But once you get AIP, you are eligible to apply for an open work permit without any job offer, LMO, etc.
Once you get a work permit, you are allowed to get a temporary SIN which is your key to getting a job. But once you complete your landing and be a PR, you can go back to Service Ontario and they will change your temporary SIN to a permanent SIN.
Actually once you complete your landing (meaning once you physically sign all pr paper works at landing office), you dont need work permit because you can work anywhere--because you are already a PR.
hope that helped.
johanna
