The Fort McMurray Fire

The story of the wildfire in Fort McMurray is a story of many things. It is the story of flames covering an area as large as PEI. The story of one of the largest disaster evacuations in Canada. Of gruelling firefighting. And of generosity and luck.

The response from Atlantic Canadians was understandably strong. We feel connected to this story because many of us have friends or family tied to Fort McMurray for their livelihood. Some of them have lost everything. Rebuilding will take years.

The Fort McMurray wildfire, nicknamed “The Beast”, is also an insurance story. As Macleans put it, “Alberta now faces a multibillion-dollar recovery tab it will share with
Ottawa and the insurance sector.” When everything is paid for, it is estimated to be the costliest catastrophe in Canadian history.

But catastrophes are why we have insurance. Insurance is one of the ways—like installing smoke detectors—that we prepare for when things go wrong.

Insurance companies had mobile disaster response units in Fort McMurray as soon as they were given clearance from firefighters to enter. And claims representatives across the country—including right here in Nova Scotia—worked overtime taking calls. The Insurance Bureau of Canada also addressed public concerns.

Dealing with these losses is stressful. And whenever a lot of claims happen at once, there is bound to be confusion.

If you ever have friends or family who are dealing with a claim, you can remind them that insurance payouts are based as much as possible on evidence. They should continue to hold onto the receipts for their living expenses and collect any documentation available for their lost property and belongings.

You can also remind them to consider hiring an independent claims adjuster if they feel that the adjuster assigned to them is not the best for their case. Not all insurance companies are always affected the same. You may want to remind your friends and family to talk to brokers for advice.