Edmonton, Alberta — The deep freeze that Western Canada experienced in January is now estimated to have caused over $180 million in insured damages, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).
On January 12 in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, daytime highs dropped far below the seasonable normal and persisted for several days at these lows. Environment Canada reported that dozens of new daily minimum temperature records were set, with Edmonton, Alberta seeing four straight days with temperatures between -40 to -45 degrees Celsius.
As a result, these freezing temperatures caused damage to vehicles alongside houses and other personal property with car batteries failing to function and house pipes bursting in the cold.
“It’s been an unusual winter season, with extreme swings in conditions across the country, said Rob de Pruis, National Director, Consumer and Industry Relations, Insurance Bureau of Canada (ICB). “In January, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan experienced an extreme cold weather event that led to widespread water damage. Based on total claims counts, approximately 70 percent of all claims related to this extreme cold event were personal property claims.”
Pruis further noted that “anyone who has been affected by this extreme cold event and/or has questions about their vehicle, home or business insurance should call their insurance representative. Insurance representatives are on your side and there to help. Anyone with general insurance questions can also contact IBC’s Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC or visit IBC.ca.”
