Some insurers stop covering California homes over costs linked to wildfires. Is Canada next?
Wildfires are [...] continuing to burn out of control outside Halifax, and insurers have stopped issuing policies for homes in Nova Scotia evacuation zones while the province remains under an emergency declaration.
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Craig Stewart, a vice-president with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, says escalating wildfire dangers aren't yet at the point where home insurers are balking.... He says single events don't drive insurance premium rates, and models are based on long-term trends. However, those trends do present concerns for Canadian homeowners.
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Stewart says there's already about 1.5 million Canadian homes that are uninsurable because they're located in flood plains.
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The 2023 federal budget does promise funding for Canada's first national flood insurance program to the tune of $31.7 million over three years .
Stewart says the Insurance Board of Canada has had discussions about expanding the program to other types of natural disasters if needed. He argues public insurance programs make sense when most people living in flood zones remain unaware of the danger their homes might be in.