Insurance policy doesn’t entitle couple to additional rebuilding costs: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Canada is pictured in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has sided with an insurance company in a dispute over coverage for a family whose home on the Ottawa River was declared a total loss due to flooding.

Trillium Mutual Insurance Co. acknowledged that the loss of Stephen and Claudette Emond’s house in April 2019 was covered under a homeowners’ insurance policy.

The Emonds planned to rebuild their house, but there was disagreement about whether the policy covered the cost of additional work to comply with requirements set out by the local conservation authority.

The Ontario Superior Court ruled in favour of the couple in 2022.

The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the decision, finding the policy limited the recoverable costs of complying with the conservation authority’s requirements to $10,000.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the Emonds are not entitled to recover the increased compliance costs, beyond the $10,000 limit.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press