As the hard insurance market ensues into 2021, we take a look at some of the severe weather catastrophes in 2020 that marked Canada’s fourth highest year in insured losses since 1983. On top of the global Covid-19 pandemic, Canada had experienced insured losses to the extent of nearly $2.5 billion. The cyclical nature of the insurance industry means that after a period of severe loss, insurers must increase premiums and impose stricter underwriting guidelines to take on less risk and recoup for losses. The condominium and strata industry in all parts of Canada are at the tail end of it all, with premiums and deductibles on the rise at escalating rates.
Rain and Snowstorms in Southern Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia
On January 10, overnight temperatures in Ontario rose to new highs of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius prior to the rainstorm. During the two-day storm, Windsor and London had experienced up to 70 mm of rain and Toronto had recorded 78 mm of rainfall. The Ottawa airport had also experienced 34 mm of rain along with 12 cm of both snow and ice. In Montreal, the rain had begun on January 11, where the city recorded 40 mm of rainfall and 13 cm of ice pellets. On January 31, parts of southern British Columbia had experienced up to 140 mm of rainfall that forced the evacuation of dozens of people. The excessive rain and snowfall had led to overland flooding, seepage, and sewer backups with insured losses totalling nearly $140 million across all three provinces.
Fort McMurray Flooding
On April 26, the Athabasca River saw an alarming escalation in water levels due to a 25-kilometre ice jam, which resulted in major flooding of the downtown Fort McMurray area causing $562 million in insured damage. According to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the flooding had damaged more than 1,200 properties and displaced 13,000 residents by May 3. At the time of this incident, overland flood coverage had still been relatively new in Canada and was extremely hard to obtain in flood-prone areas. As a result, many homeowners either lacked sufficient coverage or did not have any at all.
Calgary Hailstorm and Central and Southern Alberta Storms
Ontario Windstorm
Condo and Strata Premiums Remain on the Rise
Alberta had a year-over-year increase of 20%:
Ontario had a year-over-year increase of 8%:
Having Sufficient Coverage and Paying Accurate Premiums
Given the current market conditions, it is critical that your condo or strata corporation is adequately covered in the event of a total loss. We have seen cases where properties have been underinsured, exposing themselves to unnecessary financial risk and liability. At the same time, we have seen properties carrying excessive replacement costs and, as a result, paying too much for insurance. Having an insurance appraisal done by experts trained in local construction costs ensures that you not only have sufficient coverage on your property, but that your premiums are accurate and in line with the market.
