New figures from the Insurance Bureau of Canada show the flooding this year has caused close to $208-million dollars in insurance damage across Eastern Canada. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has estimated the damage at $74 million in Ontario, $127 million in Quebec and $6 million in New Brunswick. There was nearly $160-million in home insurance claims, close to $40-million in business insurance and over $10-million in auto insurance claims. The bureau says for every dollar paid out in insurance claims for homes and businesses, Canadian governments and their taxpayers pay out much more to recover public infrastructure damaged by severe weather. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says 2,000 homes flooded in Ontario affecting roughly 1,600 residents. The damage from the flooding in Quebec was much worse with 9,800 homes flooded and 17,000 residents affected. The IBC is advocating that all political parties in the upcoming federal election commit to a National Action Plan on Flooding. This Action Plan would prioritize citizen awareness and education on the risk of flooding, relocating and protecting those at the greatest risk of repeated flooding, developing high-risk insurance mechanisms for those residents remaining in high risk areas and denying disaster assistance to new buildings in floodplains.
