Don Forgerson says Canada should be better prepared for natural disasters

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Don Forgerson says Canada should be better prepared for natural disasters

Rising costs of extreme weather don’t have to hit taxpayers

Staff on May 18, 2016

IBC president and CEO Don Forgeron warns that the Northern Alberta catastrophe is just the most recent evidence that extreme weather disasters are getting worse and more frequent in Canada–and that we could be better prepared.

The cost of these disasters  around the world has dramatically increased since the 1980s. In Canada, the federal spending on disaster relief has risen by over $500 million a year since the ’70s. Much of that is concentrated in Alberta where costs have hit over $3 billion after the 2013 floods.

Forgeron believes that Canada must take a more consistent approach to disaster preparation. In the past, Forgeron has pointed out that Canada is the only Group of Seven country that doesn’t have a flood program. Municipalities can, for example, distribute resources better with flood mapping and forecasting data. They can also prevent more disasters by planning their land-use with natural disasters in mind. And a major way to decrease burden on taxpayers would be to create a Canadian flood insurance market.

Only that kind of structured planning can help mitigate the damage and burden for evacuated families and Canadian taxpayers alike, he told listeners at an Economic Club of Canada event.

 

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Don Forgerson says Canada should be better prepared for natural disasters