Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances

The document discusses the challenges of flood insurance in Canada, where approximately 10% of households live in high-risk areas and are largely uninsurable. It evaluates the federal government's proposal for a low-cost public insurance program, warning that without strict design—such as excluding new builds, using risk-based premiums, and offering resilience discounts—the program could encourage risky development and become a financial burden. The author emphasizes that insurance must be part of a comprehensive strategy including land-use limits, mandatory risk disclosure, and reformed disaster financial assistance to ensure long-term climate resilience.

• Approximately 10% of Canadian households live in high-risk flood zones and find their homes virtually uninsurable because private companies cannot offer low-cost coverage without payouts exceeding premiums.
• Current government disaster financial assistance acts as a free insurance paid by taxpayers, creating a 'moral hazard' that discourages homeowners from reducing risk and encourages developers and municipalities to continue building on floodplains.
• A poorly designed public insurance program risks becoming a financial liability for the federal government, citing a similar US program that owed 20.5 billion US dollars to the Treasury by the end of 2022.
• To be effective, the proposed insurance regime should include three specific design measures: limiting coverage to residences built before the program's start, transitioning to risk-based premiums (with support for low-income households), and providing discounts for flood resilience measures.
• Insurance alone is insufficient for resilience; Canada requires comprehensive strategies including limits on floodplain development, improved urban drainage, mandatory flood risk disclosure during real estate transactions, and modified government disaster financial assistance.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2024). Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances. https://institutclimatique.ca/risques-inondation-dilemme-assurances/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances. 2024. https://institutclimatique.ca/risques-inondation-dilemme-assurances/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances |date=21 March 2024 |url=https://institutclimatique.ca/risques-inondation-dilemme-assurances/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2024risques, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Risques d’inondation : le dilemme des assurances}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://institutclimatique.ca/risques-inondation-dilemme-assurances/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }