Severe storms that battered Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Montreal region in June caused more than $1.1 billion in insured damage, prompting Canada's insurance industry to renew calls for governments to strengthen flood protection and disaster mitigation.According to preliminary estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), storms that struck Manitoba and Saskatchewan on June 9 and 10 generated more than $728 million in insured losses. Separate flooding in Montreal and surrounding communities on June 20 and 21 caused an additional $409 million in insured damage.The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said the latest disasters underscore the growing financial toll of flooding across the country."Together, these events highlight the growing financial and human costs of flooding across Canada," said Liam McGuinty, IBC's vice-president of federal affairs."Flooding is causing more damage, affecting more Canadians and placing growing pressure on households, communities, insurers and governments alike."The announcement comes just ahead of the second anniversary of the July 2024 flash floods that inundated Toronto and parts of southern Ontario.Updated CatIQ estimates now place insured losses from that event at more than $909 million.Those floods were among several extreme weather events that contributed to a record $8 billion in insured losses during the summer of 2024, the costliest severe weather season in Canadian history.The IBC also pointed to recent Canada Day flooding in Ottawa, where heavy rain forced evacuations, damaged homes and closed roads. The organization said it has deployed staff to assist residents and launched its Virtual Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion (V-CAMP) helpline to provide insurance guidance..According to CatIQ, insured losses related to flooding and water damage have increased by more than 300% over the past two decades compared with the previous 20-year period.Flooding now accounts for 39% of all catastrophic insured losses in Canada.Since 2009, insurers have paid an average of more than $2 billion annually in weather-related catastrophe claims.The industry paid out $9.4 billion in insured losses in 2024 and another $2.4 billion in 2025.The IBC is urging governments to accelerate investments in flood prevention and climate adaptation, including restricting residential development in high-risk flood plains, upgrading wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, expanding home retrofit programs and strengthening building codes.The organization is also encouraging provinces to adopt the federal government's Flood Risk Finder and improve public education about flood hazards."Flooding is Canada's costliest and most pervasive climate risk," McGuinty said."Insurance alone cannot solve Canada's flood problem. We need all orders of government to accelerate spending in adaptation and flood-risk reduction to better protect Canadians and build more resilient communities."
