Calls for national flood insurance program rise following latest atmospheric river to hit B.C.

VANCOUVER — The Insurance Bureau of Canada continues to push for flood protection in high-risk areas through a partnership between governments and the insurance industry.

A statement from the bureau says the national program would mean homeowners would have access to affordable flood coverage rather than relying on taxpayer-funded disaster financial assistance, which can take months or years to arrive.

Craig Stewart, the bureau’s vice-president for climate change and federal issues, says the atmospheric rivers saturating B-C’s South Coast this week reinforce the need to move forward with a national flood insurance program.

The bureau says B-C has 200-thousand households at high risk of flood damage, the third-highest number among jurisdictions in Canada, and it’s calling on Ottawa to support the program in the upcoming federal budget.