An early estimate by the Insurance Bureau of Canada has placed the wildfire that burned about 30 per cent of the Jasper townsite at the end of July as the ninth highest insurance payout from a natural disaster in Canadian history and the costliest event in all of national park history.
The insured damages – consisting only of those covered by the IBC, like homes, businesses and vehicles – total $880 million, IBC’s Rob de Pruis told the municipal council Tuesday morning.
The Jasper wildfire landed behind Toronto’s 2005 flood, which caused $900 million in insurance payouts, and ahead of Ontario’s 2018 wind storm, which caused $800 million in insurance payouts.
de Pruis said the wildfire’s ranking could change by the end of the year as insurance payouts from other recent natural disasters are totalled, …