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CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Better disaster recovery needed as frequency grows: insurance bureau
Workers continue to assess, repair and rebuild as some residents return to Jasper, Alberta on Monday August 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken TORONTO — The Insurance Bureau of Canada is calling for national discussions about how to better manage rebuilding after disasters as their cost and frequency grow. The bureau is asking the federal government to lead talks with provinces on disaster recovery as efforts to rebuild Jasper, Alta., encounter delays a year after a wildfire destroyed about a third of the town's buildings. The calls come as July 22 marks one year of the Jasper wildfire, which caused an estimated $1.2 billion in insured damage. It was just one of several disasters last year that caused about $8.5 billion in combined insured damage to make it by far the costliest year on record. Costs have climbed as climate change has helped make extreme weather events more frequent and damaging, while the cost of building materials and other factors have also contributed to the increase. The higher costs of rebuilding also comes as it's taking longer to get repairs going. Almost a year after the Jasper wildfire, IBC says officials have only issued rebuilding permits for 56 of the 358 buildings that burned down. The rebuild is going much slower than it did after the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, which saw much of the reconstruction start within the first year, despite it being the most costly wildfire event in Canadian history with some 2,400 structures destroyed. 'Delays that prolong the rebuilding process, like we are seeing in Jasper, are occurring more frequently in Canada after large catastrophic events,' said Craig Stewart, vice-president of climate change and federal issues at IBC, in a release issued ahead of the one-year anniversary. As delays in Jasper continue, the bureau is warning that some residents could run out of additional living expenses coverage and many businesses could use up their business interruption coverage. Part of the issue on delays is the added regulation from the town being in a national park and the extra remediation rules, but Stewart said a lack of co-ordinated and standardized response is also an issue. 'Canada needs a federal co-ordinating agency to guide emergency preparedness and recovery," he said. "Every other G7 country has an agency operating in this capacity – it's time for Canada to follow suit and take on a proactive approach to emergency management.' The insurance association also called for government to better support community wildfire protection initiatives such as firebreaks and limits to new buildings in unprotected high-risk areas. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025. The Canadian Press
Global News
03-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
Alberta reaches settlement with two coal companies suing over policy flip-flop
Two coal companies suing Alberta's government over its mining policy flip-flop say they've reached a settlement agreement with the province. Notices published online by Evolve Power and Atrum Coal say the details are confidential and no dollar figures are disclosed. View image in full screen Valory Resources Black Eagle Mining Corporation site near the Clearwater River, west of Rocky Mountain House, Alta. Valory Resources is one of the companies that launched a lawsuit against the Alberta government over its coal policy reversal in 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken Atrum says its agreement is definitive but Evolve says the terms of its own settlement are still being finalized. Story continues below advertisement 3:42 Mining companies knew about coal policy removal long before Albertans The companies are among five that are suing Alberta for a collective $16 billion. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The companies argue that Alberta effectively expropriated their land after it suddenly reinstated its long-standing coal policy in 2022 less than two years after it was lifted and companies had been encouraged at that time to buy land for potential mining projects. Alberta lifted the coal policy again earlier this year in favour of a new rule system, but Evolve said at the time that it would have no effect on its lawsuit.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
G7 leaders agree to ‘charter' on wildfires, pledging global co-operation
Work continues to assess, repair and rebuild as some residents return to Jasper, Alta., on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken BANFF — Leaders of the G7 have agreed to co-operate on efforts to manage the impacts of devastating wildfires, which are surging for another summer across Canada. The leaders are calling it the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter and it's believed to be a groundbreaking commitment for G7 leaders. It's a timely statement, as Canada continues to face another destructive wildfire season that has forced thousands from their homes. In Manitoba earlier this week, some of the province's 21,000 evacuees were given the green light to return home. 'These increasingly extreme wildfires are endangering lives, affecting human health, destroying homes and ecosystems, and costing governments and taxpayers billions of dollars each year,' the leaders wrote in a joint statement. Wildfires have been mentioned in past G7 communiqués, but in far less detail. At last year's summit, leaders agreed in a one-sentence commitment to prevent and manage the negative impacts of wildfires. In 2023, wildfires were not mentioned, but leaders reaffirmed previous commitments to reversing deforestation by 2030 — a pledge included in the charter. The charter, published on the final day of the summit Tuesday, lays out steps all G7 countries and five non-member countries will take to prevent fires, collaborate on research and improve community rebuilding efforts. The countries say they will reduce the risk of extreme fires through sustainable forest management and Indigenous land management techniques, such as controlled burning. A pledge to mitigate and respond to the impact of fires on human health is included — an apparent reference to volumes of wildfire smoke that have travelled oceans and crossed borders in recent summers. They also committed to collecting and sharing data and finding better ways to provide timely access to basic firefighting equipment. 'This is a really good step forward in international wildfire co-operation,' said Ilya Goheen with the University of Toronto's G7 Research Group. He said it's likely the first wildfire charter to ever come from G7 leaders. However, the charter doesn't mention climate change, which scientists say is partly responsible for the more frequent and intense fires seen in recent years. Goheen said leaders may have avoided the phrase to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, who has taken specific aim at dismantling federal policies aimed at addressing climate change. One Canadian climate advocacy organization took notice of its absence. Caroline Brouillette, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, said the country catered to the 'lowest common denominator' to appease the U.S. president and failed the test of its climate leadership. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in his closing news conference, mentioned climate change as he listed numerous challenges facing the world. He said recovering from wildfires is something felt 'intensely here in the Prairies.' The charter comes as Canada battles yet another devastating wildfire season and almost one year after flames ripped through Jasper, a town 250 kilometres north of the G7 summit site in Kananaskis. Carney laid the groundwork for wildfires to feature in G7 discussions, formally highlighting the issue as a priority for the gathering. In separate bilateral meetings in Calgary on Sunday, he thanked the leaders of Australia and South Africa for their firefighting support. The charter was signed by non-G7 leaders from Australia, India, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa, all invited to the summit by Carney. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025. Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
The Star
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
G7 leaders sign joint statements on critical minerals, AI
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walks during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken
Yomiuri Shimbun
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Says He Will Soon Return to Washington from G7 Summit
REUTERS/Amber Bracken U.S. President Donald Trump walks to have a family photo taken at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025. KANANASKIS, Alberta, June 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will soon be back in Washington from the Group of Seven nations' summit held in Canada due to the situation in the Middle East where THE conflict between Iran and Israel has escalated. 'I have to be back as soon as I can,' Trump told reporters.
