Keyword
wildfires
Alberta to add firefighters for expected busy wildfire season: minister
February 9, 2024 Bob Weber – The Canadian PressAlberta will field more firefighters, more volunteers and more high-tech gear as it braces for what it expects will be another busy wildfire season, the province’s forestry minister said Thursday. And as the province faces a summer of possibly severe…
What the industry learned from a 20-year-old wildfire
January 11, 2024 Jason ContantThe devastation of British Columbia’s Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire in 2003 was unlike anything Janna Smart had adjusted before. “It was full of raw emotion, chaos, destruction, and limited experience in handling a wildfire in a densely populated area. It…
Canada to pilot options for national emergency response agency in 2024
December 15, 2023 Mia Rabson - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – A new national emergency response agency may consist of regional response teams that Ottawa can call into action when disaster strikes, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a recent interview. It is clear some kind of federal…
Can Canada’s P&C industry catch up to NatCats?
December 14, 2023 Philip PoradoIn much of Nova Scotia, last summer was hell. The Tantallon wildfire in May and June generated $165 million in insured damage, mostly for personal property, by the time the flames went out July 4. In a normal year, residents…
Floods, wildfires: How an incorrect address cost a broker his job
December 6, 2023 by David GambrillInsurance Council of British Columbia has fined a former broker $1,500 for failing to notify his commercial client that the company’s address change — which located the business in a floodplain — triggered a lack of coverage during a subsequent…
Coastal storms: Could U.S. scenario happen here?
November 1, 2023 Philip PoradoIncreasing intensity of hurricanes making landfall along the U.S. coastline, sparked largely by climate change, has resulted in significant insured losses for several years. And storms seem to be getting worse. That trend impacts insurability and, going forward, “property values…
B.C. disaster response outdated and inaccessible for evacuees: ombudsperson
October 4, 2023 Brieanna Charlebois - THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER – Emergency support programs for disaster evacuees in British Columbia are outdated, under-resourced, inaccessible and poorly communicated, according to a report by the province’s ombudsperson. Ombudsperson Jay Chalke’s report on the government’s response to wildfires and severe flooding in…
Four young B.C. firefighters heading home die in head-on crash on highway
September 21, 2023 Brenna Owen - THE CANADIAN PRESSFour young men travelling home after helping in the battle against wildfires in central British Columbia are dead after a fiery head-on crash, police and provincial officials said Wednesday. RCMP Cpl. James Grandy said emergency crews responded around 2 a.m.…
B.C. to introduce new disaster management laws to address preparedness, mitigation
September 20, 2023 The Canadian PressVANCOUVER – British Columbia’s emergency management minister said the province will be ready to introduce “in the coming weeks” new laws to govern responses to increasingly frequent natural disasters such as wildfires and flooding. Bowinn Ma told a gathering at…
Intact reports Q3 wildfire claims losses
September 1, 2023 by David GambrillIntact Financial Corporation is projecting $570 million Cdn in pre-tax losses due to wildfires in 2023 Q3, the company announced Thursday. Intact has a national Canadian P&C insurance market share of 18.7% based on $12.6 billion of net premiums written…
Canada’s wildfires: Is industry concerned about lack of firefighters?
July 21, 2023 by Jason ContantWith Canada’s record-breaking fire season continuing to burn hot, firefighter availability and the country’s system of sharing resources is stretched thin. For Canada’s P&C insurance industry, the overall lack of firefighters is a concern, given the sheer number of fires…
Wildfires: Where there’s smoke, there’s damage
July 18, 2023 by David GambrillAs smoke from almost 900 of Canada’s wildfires descends upon the United States, resurrecting media reports about air quality, Canadian property and casualty insurers have an eye on a different type of exposure — property damage claims due to wildfire…