Water damage claims jump: insurance bureau
Cities urged to improve infrastructure in face of global warming
Last Updated: Friday, August 7, 2009 | 1:17 PM ET
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Another warning was issued Thursday about the effects of global warming on the cost of maintaining municipalities, this time from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, where they see major increases in claims from water damage after heavy rainfalls.
"The Insurance Bureau of Canada is heavily lobbying municipalities to say, 'What are we doing with our infrastructure,'" said bureau spokesman Jack Chadirdjian.
"We're having a lot of rain in a very short period of time, which is causing a lot of stress on our municipal infrastructures," he said.
Five years ago, he said, water damage was responsible for a quarter of all insurance claims.
Now, it's responsible for half of the claims, he said.
The City of Montreal said Friday that no claims have been filed in connection with serious flooding at the Highway 40 underpass known as L'Acadie Circle after a heavy downpour July 26.
However, the city is still facing $5 million in lawsuits in connection with the flooding at the same underpass four years ago.
The city maintains flooding at L'Acadie Circle resulted from unusually heavy rainfall, and there is nothing wrong with the design of the underpass.
McGill University engineering professor Saeed Mirza disagrees.
"The problem is there — all that will happen with climate change is that it can get worse," Mirza said
He said the problem should be resolved before someone gets hurt.
The City of Montreal says it is investing a record $357 million in its water drainage infrastructure this year.
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