No damage expected after two small quakes felt in B.C., Quebec

Two small earthquakes were felt in Canada early this week, off the coast of British Columbia and in Quebec, although no damage is expected.

On Sunday, shortly after 3 pm PDT, a 4.5-magnitude quake was lightly felt in Skidegate, a Haida community in Haida Gwaii, B.C., and the Village of Queen Charlotte, according to Earthquakes Canada.

That event was “one of thousands of aftershocks that have been occurring since a 7.7-magnitude quake hit the region last fall,” according to a published report from the Canadian Press.

On Monday, at around 9:30 am EDT, a 3.1-magnitude quake occurred about 11 km north of Brownsburg-Chatham, Que. in the western part of the province near the Ontario border, Earthquakes Canada reported.

Earthquakes Canada also reported that early on April 13, a magnitude 4 earthquake occurred off the west coast of Haida Gwaii, although there were no reports of that quake being felt and no damage is expected.

It’s unlikely that a quake below a magnitude of 5 would cause any damage, according to Earthquakes Canada.

While the three events weren’t significant in terms of damage, earthquakes both off of Canada’s west coast and in the Ontario-Quebec region are of concern, especially in areas where infrastructure is ageing.

The British Columbia government recently announced more funding as part of an ongoing initiative to upgrade school buildings that are in high-risk quake areas.