With hundreds of claims from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire still unresolved as of late last month, Alberta residents could be forgiven for still worrying about wildfire risks in their own backyard. The Canadian Press recently reported that as of…
Reducing the risk of wildfire, several communities in western Canada are using development permits as a way to address construction of new residential development in the wildland-urban interface, the Institute for Catastrophe Loss Reduction (ICLR) noted in a recent report.…
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Members of the public are no longer allowed in the area around Allie Lake, B.C., where one of the first large wildfires of the 2018 season is blazing out of control. The B.C. Wildfire Service has issued…
CALGARY – A University of Calgary study says there need to be more wide, open spaces to prevent catastrophic wildfires like the one that devastated the city of Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta two years ago. Researchers from the university’s…
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – Deadlines have been extended for hundreds of insurance claims that remain unresolved more than two years after a wildfire dubbed “The Beast” tore through Fort McMurray and surrounding areas in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.…
Brokers in British Columbia looking to place overland flood cover should review a recent study that found polled respondents did not have access to overland flood insurance, did not know about it, or found it unaffordable. Even more alarming, most…
Why a new breed of storms paves a new course for claims managers
WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. – Emergency officials in British Columbia’s southern Interior warn that devastating wildfires that charred thousands of square kilometres of timber and bush last year now have the potential to make seasonal flooding even more severe. The warning…
EDMONTON – The Alberta government has introduced legislation to better define roles and responsibilities for decision-makers when natural disaster strikes. The proposed changes, tabled by Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson, will also provide minimum emergency management training for elected officials…
A $147-million reinsurance dispute involving Fort McMurray wildfire claims got off to a rocky start because the insurer and its reinsurers could not initially agree on the method of arbitration. At the heart of the matter was a broad reference…
On May 3, 2016 a massive wildfire swept through the remote Alberta community of Fort McMurray, necessitating the largest wildfire evacuation in Canadian history, with upwards of 88,000 people fleeing their homes. May 3rd was a turning point as well…
CALGARY – Apparently lightning can strike the same place twice after all. A study by researchers at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering suggests it’s possible to predict where lightning will strike and how often. They say satellite…