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The 10 most expensive years for weather, natural disaster in Canada: insurance bureau

Last year ranks among the top five worst years on record in insured damage from extreme weather events, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) said, but it wasn’t the worst.

Noteworthy severe weather events last year include the Atlantic Canada cold snap; Ontario and Quebec spring ice storm; the Tantallon, N.S., wildfire; Nova Scotia flooding; Prairies summer storms; the Winnipeg hailstorm; Ontario severe summer storms; the Okanagan and Shuswap, B.C., area wildfires; and the Behchokǫ̀-Yellowknife and Hay River, N.W.T, wildfires.

The record number of wildfires ranked as Environment Canada’s top weather story for 2023.

These are the 10 most expensive years for natural disasters in Canada as measured by insurance payouts, adjusted for inflation in 2022.

1. 2016 — $5.96 billion

Notable event: Fort McMurray wildfire

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2. 2013 — $3.87 billion

Notable events: Floods in Alberta, Greater Toronto Area; Toronto ice storm

3. 2022 — $3.4 billion

Notable events: Hurricane Fiona; wildfires

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4. 2023 — $3.13 billion

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Notable events: B.C. wildfires; Nova Scotia floods

5. 1998 — $2.83 billion

Notable event: Eastern Canada ice storm

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6. 2021 — $2.48 billion

Notable events: Calgary hailstorm; B.C. floods

7. 2020 — $2.46 billion

Notable events: Fort McMurray flood; Calgary hailstorm

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8. 2018 — $2.4 billion

Notable events: Ottawa-area tornado; New Brunswick flash floods

9. 2011 — $1.97 billion

Notable events: Slave Lake, Alta., wildfire

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10. 2012 — $1.65 billion

Notable event: Calgary rainstorm

The 10 most expensive years for weather, natural disaster in Canada: insurance bureau - image

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