Canadians impacted by extreme weather want federal parties to prioritize climate issues

The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is seen past falling snow in Ottawa, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

A Calgary woman, who has experienced four hailstorms over the past few years, believes climate and environment issues should be a priority in the federal election.

“I don’t understand how this can’t be a campaign issue,” said Saymah Chaudhry.

Chaudhry has had hail damage to two different homes, all in the northeast quadrant of Calgary, including last year’s hailstorm. It was the single-most destructive weather event in 2024, causing $3 billion in insured losses in just over an hour, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“The stress level is always there and we just kind of live with it,” said Chaudhry.

She believes new homes in high-risk areas across the country should be built with better materials.

Chaudhry says there needs to be a national program in place to retrofit existing homes with better material in those high-risk areas and to upgrade damaged ones, since her insurance company doesn’t cover those costs.

“The government in 2020 and 2024 -- and we know who was in power during those times -- has actually done nothing to support people, particularly living in the northeast,” she said.

“People who are repeatedly hit by hailstorms, at no fault of their own, should be supported. And if the government doesn’t want to support us, if the insurance companies do not want to support us, why are they allowing developers and builders to build in areas where there is no support?”

Ron Czobitko, a Jasper resident who lost his home in the wildfire last summer, agrees there should be some kind of support for rebuilds.

“Most of the homes at the time have a lot of cedar siding and cedar roofs, which aren’t exactly what you call fireproof,” he said.

“Better building materials would definitely help.”

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says insured damages caused by severe weather events reached a record of nearly $9 billion last year. The total is almost triple the total insured losses from the year before.

“Over the past 10 years insurers and homeowners have faced direct financial costs of over $30 billion in losses from severe weather events and over a million Canadians households are affected by severe weather,” said Craig Stewart, vice president of federal affairs at the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Insurance premiums rising

With severe weather intensifying and becoming more frequent, Canadians are also concerned about their insurance premiums rising and some are even finding it difficult to get coverage.

Azadbir Hayer, from Calgary, was looking to renew his home insurance for a more affordable rate. He was shocked to find out that his postal code was denied coverage from one insurance company because he was in a high-risk area.

“My house does not have any hailstorm damage or roof damage due to the hail, but we fall under that area code that they have suspended for insurance,” he said.

Stewart says it’s likely going to become more difficult to access hail cover and be more expensive as more intense weather hits.

“We are seeing insurers adjust their exposure to adjust their coverage so they’re not as exposed. And sometimes that means that homeowners are picking up more of the risk.”