VULNERABILITY
(Canada in a
Changing Climate)
Impacts of recent extreme weather events highlight
the vulnerability of Canadian communities and critical infrastructure to
climate change.
The economic costs resulting from extreme weather events in Canada
in the past decade (since 1996) have been greater than for all previous years
combined. Costs reaching hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars are
associated with flooding, wind, hail and ice storms, hurricanes, tornados and
wild fires in all regions of southern Canada (Table SR-3), arising from property damage and disruption in the production and
flow of goods and services. Prolonged periods of unusual weather, such as
drought, can also result in high economic costs. Six of the ten most costly
disasters in Canadian history have been droughts (Public Safety Canada, 2005).
The national-scale drought of 2001–2002 resulted in Canada's gross domestic product
being reduced by about $5.8 billion, as well as more than 41 000 job
losses. While it is not possible to attribute individual weather events to
changing climate, such costs illustrate that Canadian communities and
infrastructure are vulnerable to climate events. This vulnerability is likely
to increase, since climate models project increases in the frequency and
magnitude of many types of extreme weather.
Extreme weather events affect the health and well-being of
Canadians, as they frequently involve job losses, loss of assets,
displacements, physical injuries and illnesses, psychological disorders, and
loss of lives. The 1998 ice storm resulted in 945 injuries, while wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta
resulted in an estimated 45,000 displacements in 2003, both of which are
records for natural disasters in Canada (Table SR-3). Heavy rainfall following a period of drought was a contributing
factor to the E. coli outbreak in Walkerton, Ontario
in 2000, which resulted in seven deaths and thousands of people becoming ill.
Table SR-3: Recent costly extreme weather events, excluding drought (from Public Safety Canada, 2005; Environment Canada, 2005; BC Provincial Government, 2003).
Table SR-3: Recent costly extreme weather events, excluding drought (from Public Safety Canada, 2005; Environment Canada, 2005; BC Provincial Government, 2003).
|
Event and date |
Region |
Estimated costs |
Deaths |
Injuries |
Evacuations |
|
Ice
storm 1998
|
Ontario Quebec Atl. Canada
|
$5.4 billion |
28 |
945 |
17 800 |
|
Saguenay flood 1996 |
Quebec |
$1.7 billion |
10 |
0 |
15 825 |
Calgary hailstorm 1991 |
Prairies |
$884 million |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Red River flood
1997
|
Prairies |
$817 million |
0 |
0 |
25 447 |
|
BC/Alberta wildfires
2003
|
British Columbia |
$700 million |
3 |
unknown |
45 000 |
|
Toronto extreme rain
2005
|
Ontario |
>$500 million
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Southern Alberta floods
2005
|
Prairies |
>$400 million
|
4 |
unknown |
>2000 |
|
Calgary hailstorm
1996
|
Prairies |
$305 million |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Hurricane Juan
2003
|
Atlantic Canada |
$200 million |
8 |
unknown |
unknown |
