Topic NWT
Wildfires close evacuation routes out of N.W.T. towns, some being transported by air
August 14, 2023 by The Canadian PressFORT SMITH, N.W.T. – Residents of a second town near the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary were ordered to evacuate to safety Sunday evening due to encroaching wildfires, with a new fire meaning the only route out for one of the communities…
Four homes in Northwest Territories lost in wildfire, road closed
July 28, 2023 by The Canadian PressYELLOWKNIFE — An out-of-control wildfire in the Northwest Territories has destroyed four homes in a community about 100 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife. Wildfire information officer Mike Westwick says the fire has reached the community of Behchoko in Rae. The territory’s…
Brokers, insurers differ on the value of numerous flood products for home owners
July 4, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoCanada’s property and casualty insurance brokers have long maintained the need for a unified flood map, but insurers want to compete on their proprietary flood maps, and the ongoing differences between brokers and their insurance partners on this point became…
Will this be the worst wildfire season Canada has ever seen?
June 6, 2023 by Mia Rabson - THE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA – This is on track to be the worst fire season Canada has ever seen and the risk of wildfires will remain well above average in most of the country throughout the summer, the federal government warned Monday. At…
More than half of N.W.T. wildfires so far this season caused by humans: officials
May 24, 2023 by The Canadian PressHAY RIVER, N.W.T. – Officials in the Northwest Territories say more than half of the wildfires in the territory this year were started by people. A total of 15 wildfires have burned 161 square kilometres across the territory so far…
Losses adjusters don’t want to see from Alberta wildfires
May 24, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoWith wildfires raging on across Alberta and the west, adjusters are hoping the fires stay remote and spare populous areas from catastrophic losses. “We are seeing some claims and anticipate seeing many more as dangerous conditions persist,” Patricia (P.J.) Davis,…
Break-in at government office results in privacy breach
April 21, 2023 by The Canadian PressYELLOWKNIFE – The Northwest Territories government says a break-in at its Department of Education, Culture and Employment headquarters in Yellowknife has resulted in a privacy breach affecting about 3,000 people. The government says the break-in occurred early on Sunday and…
Northwest Territories government spent $716,000 to address cybersecurity breach
April 13, 2023 by The Canadian PressYELLOWKNIFE – The Northwest Territories government says it spent $716,000 to address a cyberattack in November. It says it signed two work orders under existing contracts to help with containment, investigation and response efforts. The territory says the cybersecurity threat…
Want lower liability exposure for athletes? Don’t play sports in B.C.
March 21, 2023 by Alyssa DiSabatinoA recent Supreme Court of British Columbia case points to the difference between the standard of care for sports negligence claims in B.C. compared to the rest of Canada. In Miller v. Cox, the court found that a recreational soccer…
N.W.T. says lack of notice on oilsands tailings spill goes against deal with Alberta
March 7, 2023 by Bob Weber - THE CANADIAN PRESSAlberta didn’t live up to the terms of a deal it has with the Northwest Territories to inform it about threats to its shared watershed after two major oilsands tailings spills, the territory’s environment minister said Friday. Shane Thompson said…
Where 2022 tallies for insured damages in Canada
January 18, 2023 by Canadian Underwriter StaffSevere weather events in 2022 gave Canada its third worst year for insured damage in the country’s history. Insured damage for severe weather events across Canada hit $3.1 billion last year, the third-highest total of NatCat losses in the nation’s…
Canada’s top five federal contaminated sites to cost billions to clean up
November 29, 2022 by Emily Blake - THE CANADIAN PRESSYELLOWKNIFE – With a cost estimate of $4.38 billion, remediation of the Giant Mine, one of the most contaminated sites in Canada, is also expected to be the most expensive federal environmental cleanup in the country’s history. The figure, recently…