Topic Catastrophes
CU Webinar: Industry execs to discuss impact of economic recession on Canada’s P&C industry
June 12, 2020 by David GambrillWay back in 2020 Q1, before the world turned upside down, the Canadian property and casualty insurance results were on the rebound from a difficult prior year. But on Mar. 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus…
One cheap way for cities to reduce basement flood risk
June 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation is encouraging Canadian municipalities to follow the example of Nova Scotia municipalities that are distributing basement flood prevention tips to property owners with their tax bill. Starting Friday June 12, both the town and…
How wildfire crews are avoiding COVID transmission
June 11, 2020 by Greg MeckbachChanging the way firefighters eat their meals in camps, having masks on hand, and social distancing are among the precautions the Saskatchewan government has taken to ensure it responds to disasters with the ongoing pandemic. “In Saskatchewan, we have already…
Environment Canada says tornadoes destroy barns, down trees in southern Ontario
June 11, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSGLENCOE, Ont. – Environment Canada says it’s investigating after two tornadoes were reported near London, Ont., Wednesday night. The weather agency says the first happened at 7:50 p.m. in Glencoe, Ont., while the second happened 40 minutes later in Belmont,…
How basement flood risk could rise with pandemic-induced municipal funding crunch
June 10, 2020 by Greg MeckbachThe economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic could have an impact on public works projects aimed at reducing basement flooding, the head of an extreme weather risk think tank suggests. “When you are talking about how we are going to…
Roads flooded, some homes evacuated as rain pummels southeast Manitoba
June 9, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSSTUARTBURN, Man. – Heavy rain in southeastern Manitoba has flooded roads and forced people out of some homes. David Kiansky, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Stuartburn, says the water rose up suddenly and covered a lot of farmland and…
Why Intact predicts sustained hard market in home insurance
June 5, 2020 by Greg MeckbachNatural disasters like the recent Fort McMurray flooding will likely continue driving home insurance rates up, suggests Intact Financial Corp. CEO Charles Brindamour. “Personal property is in a relatively hard market environment with mid to upper single digit rates increases.…
Editor’s Note: Underwriting for the next pandemic
June 5, 2020 by David GambrillThe social and economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2020 is truly horrifying, saddening, and staggering. Many of us have lost loved ones, or know people who are out of work because of the potentially lethal virus moving…
How much insurers paid out for Fort Mac’s spring flood
June 2, 2020 by Adam MalikInsurers paid out more $228 million in insured damage for spring flooding in Fort McMurray, Alta., that occurred a little over a month ago. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) released the numbers this week, noting that commercial properties took…
Q&A: Business Continuity in the Digital Age
June 1, 2020 by David GambrillAs an industry challenged by all of the various disasters that the world has to offer, many Canadian property and casualty insurance companies already had business continuity plans in place to keep their operations running in the face of a…
Flood warnings expand for part of B.C., but conditions ease elsewhere
June 1, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSFlood warnings now cover a large section of southern British Columbia as river levels rise rapidly in response to heavy weekend rains and continuing snowmelt. The River Forecast Centre extended a flood warning Monday to the Boundary region, including the…
Dry conditions in Nova Scotia fuelling three large wildfires
May 27, 2020 by THE CANADIAN PRESSHALIFAX – Provincial officials in Nova Scotia are warning about the potential for forest fires in dry, humid conditions as firefighters battle three significant wildfires across the province. The fires burning Tuesday follow a weekend blaze near Porters Lake east…