The Early Earthquake Warning system (EEW) is now operational for earthquake preparedness in Quebec and Eastern Ontario. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) welcomed this initiative from various levels of government.
The EEW system includes 200 sensors that detect earthquakes. If the earthquake is potentially dangerous, an alert is automatically issued through the National Public Alerting System. It is then transmitted to broadcasters and cellular service providers.
People in the affected areas also gain a few extra seconds before strong shaking occurs. The farther individuals are from the epicentre, the more time they will have to prepare.
By encouraging people to take the alert seriously — “to drop, cover and hold on”—lives could be saved, says Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) in the documentation associated with the launch. The alert will only be sent for potentially damaging tremors.
Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, made the announcement on November 27, along with the ministers responsible for civil security in the two provinces concerned: Ian Lafrenière in Quebec and Jill Dunlop in Ontario.
The federal department will also ensure that detailed messages are transmitted to infrastructure operators—for example, to stop trains, restricting traffic on bridges and tunnels, activate alarm systems, etc.—before strong shaking begins, which could reduce damage and casualties.
The EEW system has been operational since May 2024 in Western British Columbia. The St. Lawrence Valley, the Ottawa River Valley in southern Quebec, and southeastern Ontario are exposed to the risk of dangerous earthquakes, says NRCan, which records more than 5,000 earthquakes in Canada each year.
Insurers react
Liam McGuinty, Vice-President, Federal Affairs at IBC, responded positively to the activation of the EEW system in the regions of these two provinces most prone to major earthquakes.
He also welcomed the federal government’s recent commitment to consult with the P&C insurance industry on ways to ensure the stability of Canada’s financial sector in an extreme earthquake event.
“Canada is the only G7 country with a significant earthquake risk that lacks a formal government-backed financial safety net for earthquake insurance. Without it, a major earthquake could trigger widespread financial instability, impacting consumers, businesses, and even Canada’s economic resilience,” he says.
“IBC is eager to partner with the government to quickly find a solution that will protect Canadians and the broader economy in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake and address the risks associated with a seismic event for the Canadian economy,” adds McGuinty.
