Jasper wildfire caused $880M in insured losses: Insurance Bureau of Canada

The wildfire that ripped through Jasper National Park this summer and destroyed a significant portion of the Jasper townsiteis Canada's ninth most expensive disaster for insurance payouts, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

TheIBC estimates the insured damages includinghomes, businesses, their contents and vehicles to be $880 million. IBC says the wildfire is the costliest insurance event in Canada's national park history.

"Back in the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s, my industry was paying out on average annually hundreds of millions of dollars in severe weather," IBC national director Rob de Pruis told Jasper council on Tuesday.

"But over this past decade, that number is well over $2 billion."

He added while Jasper is ninth now, several other recent disasters such as Montreal flooding, Ontario floodingor the Calgary hailstorm could surpass it.

"But as of today, it's No. 9 and that is a big deal," saidde Pruis, addingthere have been about 2,500 claims from Jasper so far.

A residential debris removal program is underway, includinga sifting program done byTeam Rubicon to helpresidents look for heirlooms among the ashes. According to de Pruis, more than300 properties have signed up so far.

Once that process is completed, the goal is to clear all debris by Nov.30 with a priority given to commercial properties.

Coverage for air quality testing

Jasper Coun. Rico Damota said some residents are concerned about air contaminants.

"I read on social media about a family in Fort Mac that moved back into their home and then down the road six months later they found that there were contaminants within their home that caused them to be ill."

Damota said while he understoodthe air in a home can't be insured, Jasper residents are finding there's a discrepancy in what insurance companies will cover when it comes to contaminants.

It's a challenge because of a lack of standards for contamination levels and insurance limits that may prevent people from being able to afford air quality testing,de Pruissaid.

WATCH | Tearful residents take stock of the damage:

Jasper residents confront what theyve lost to wildfire

11 days ago

Duration 2:15

Residents of Jasper, Alta., are still coming face to face with the devastation caused by last month's wildfire, including one family who says they lost eight properties, including a long-standing restaurant.

He added the first priority should be remediation and rebuilding.

"Some of this testing can be $20,000 to $25,000. What's done with the insurance industry is they'll go in and do all the necessary cleaning to make sure that you have sufficient coverage to do all the necessary work," he said.

"And then if there still is coverage available, if you're still experiencing some problems, then you can use and utilize some of those testing processes to determine what type of contaminants are there."

He also warnedresidents shouldchoose qualified remediation contractors to ensure that their property gets adequate cleaning.