The hailstorm that hit Calgary on July 13 caused an estimated $92 million in insured damages, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) published by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) in a press release issued Aug. 14. The IBC highlighted that about 65% of the claims from July's hailstorm were for vehicle damage.
The IBC pointed out that, including this latest storm, Alberta has had at least one major hailstorm every year for the past two decades. These storms have caused more than $11 billion in insured damage. Hailstorms that occurred during the past five years accounted for $6 billion of that total. In 2024, a hailstorm in Calgary caused losses estimated at $3.29 billion – Canada’s second costliest natural disaster.
A clear and troubling pattern
"These hailstorms are not isolated, one-off incidents – they reflect a clear and troubling pattern that demands action through public policy," stated Aaron Sutherland, Vice-President, Pacific and Western, IBC. "It's far past the time to have a serious conversation about the extent of repeated hail damage, specifically in Calgary, and the urgent need to consider resilience measures and adapt more effectively to our new weather reality."
Sutherland added that everyone knows that better building codes, financial support for retrofits, and enhanced risk mapping and warning systems are required to increase resilience.
Specifically for Calgary, the IBC is calling on governments for the following efforts to be made: “Revive Calgary's Resilient Roofing Rebate Program, which provided homeowners with financial assistance to retrofit their homes to protect them from hail damage; mandate the use of hail-resistant roofing and siding for all new construction in high-risk areas and improve hail notification services so that residents are better able to prepare and move vehicles out of harm's way when a storm is coming.”
