2 days ago
Opinion: Homeowners pay heavy price for weather disasters; need to build more resilient communities
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Extreme weather is making its mark on Alberta again this year. Communities evacuated. Structures destroyed by wildfire. Numerous hail and severe storm warnings.
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All this, and summer has yet to officially begin.
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Long a fact of life in Alberta, severe weather is getting worse and our communities are not resilient enough to withstand the damage it is causing. That must change, fast.
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The numbers are clear. Alberta has averaged at least one major hailstorm per year for the past two decades, causing a total of $11 billion in insured losses — $3.2 billion from last year's Calgary hailstorm alone. Add in floods, wildfires and windstorms, and that number explodes to more than $22 billion (adjusted for inflation).
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Alberta has suffered five of the 10 costliest severe weather events in Canadian history, so it's no wonder our province is increasingly known as the 'Disaster Capital of Canada.'
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As insurance claims rise, there is an effect on insurance costs. Amid calls for action, the solution is clear — we must properly invest in making our homes, businesses and communities more resilient against severe weather.
Alberta's insurers will pay out $4.4 billion in insured losses for last year's Jasper wildfire and Calgary hailstorm. That's more than the federal government has spent on adaptation investments over the past decade. Specifically, the federal government has invested $41.8 billion in long-term emissions-reduction measures, but only $4.1 billion on efforts to make communities more resilient.
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Just this week, the federal auditor general issued a scathing report on the poor implementation and underfunding of Canada's National Adaptation Strategy.
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It's paramount that we start treating severe weather as a question of when, not if, and act accordingly. This will require everyone — insurers, homeowners and governments — to do their part.
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Canada's insurance industry is doing what it can to drive adaptation efforts. Many insurers reward homeowners who make upgrades with discounts or coverage that helps offset the added cost of resilient materials.
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Many insurers provide fire mitigation services to their customers and assist with grants aimed at improving flood and wildfire resilience. The industry also provides millions of dollars annually to the Alberta Hail Suppression Project.
