Topic Environmental
Fight for funding to protect land link between N.S. and N.B. goes to court
July 21, 2023 by The Canadian PressHALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government is asking the province’s Court of Appeal to determine who has jurisdiction over the works that protect a vital link between the province and New Brunswick. In a court document filed Wednesday, lawyers for…
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…
Fire and drought: What does 2024 hold for British Columbia?
July 20, 2023 by Brieanna Charlebois - THE CANADIAN PRESSVANCOUVER – British Columbia hasn’t yet hit the “peak” of its wildfire season, but it has already broken the record for the total area burned in a year, the province’s minister of emergency management said. Officials are now eyeing the…
Ontario, Quebec to see more tornado ‘fuel,’ but more data needed
July 19, 2023 by Thomas MacDonald - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – Climate change will likely bring more weather conditions to Ontario and Quebec that are favourable to the development of tornadoes, but it’s still unclear whether Central Canada will actually be hit by more of them, experts say. Severe…
Montreal-Barrhaven storm declared a Cat
July 18, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoThe storm that hit Montreal on Thursday, downing trees and power lines and causing localized flooding, has been declared a catastrophe, Laura Twidle, president and CEO of Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) told Canadian Underwriter. A ‘catastrophe’ is an…
Record wildfire season in B.C. for area burned with almost 400 fires in the province
July 18, 2023 by The Canadian PressBritish Columbia’s disastrous wildfire season has set a new record for the total area burned in a year, with almost 14,000 square kilometres scorched and hundreds of fires burning across the province. The B.C. Wildfire Service website says 13,935 square…
‘Aggressive’ wildfire shuts B.C. highway as military and officials set to meet
July 17, 2023 by Jason ContantThe BC Wildfire Service says an “aggressive” fire that exploded in size over the weekend has cut off a highway on the central coast, while more than a dozen new blazes have been sparked since Sunday. The service says Highway…
Tornado hits suburban Ottawa neighbourhood, damaging 125 homes and scattering debris
July 14, 2023 by Mia Rabson and Liam Fox - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – The remains of totalled fences, blown-out windows and ripped-off roofs were scattered across a south-end neighbourhood in Ottawa on Thursday after a tornado hit with little warning. After the skies had cleared, families sat out on their porches…
B.C. expected to request Ottawa’s help with worsening wildfires
July 13, 2023 by The Canadian PressVANCOUVER – Canada’s Emergency Preparedness Minister says he is expecting a “fairly substantive” request for help from British Columbia as wildfires worsen. Bill Blair tells The Canadian Press the government operations centre has been in discussions with the province for…
How much Intact paid in second quarter Cat losses
July 13, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoIntact Financial Corporation saw an estimated $335 million in catastrophe losses in Canada for the second quarter of 2023, the insurer revealed in a release. Comparatively, the company handled over a million claims and paid out over $10 billion globally in…
B.C. wildfires prompt evacuation orders for two regions
July 10, 2023 by The Canadian PressThe Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako and the Regional District of Cariboo have issued evacuation orders this weekend due to wildfires in British Columbia. The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako says the danger posed by the Tsah Creek wildfire has prompted an…
Will powerful Alberta tornado be declared a Cat?
July 7, 2023 by Jason ContantA powerful Canada Day tornado that swept through a section of rural Alberta likely won’t result in much insured damage despite strong winds that reached an estimated 275 km/h. The EF4 tornado tore through an area south of Didsbury, Alta.…