March 17, 2015 – Lacombe, Alberta – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Severe flooding events across Canada have had a significant impact on individuals, farms, businesses, and governments in recent years, but were most acute on the Prairies. Since 2007, governments have responded sixteen times through the AgriRecovery Framework to disaster events related to water issues on the Prairies (excessive moisture, flooding or drought) at a cost of $885 million (federal and provincial shares).
As AgriRecovery is not intended to address recurring events, better solutions for producers to manage those risks need to be developed. However, the insurance industry has been reluctant to provide flood insurance due, in part, to the poor availability of up-to-date flood risk exposure data and mapping.
Emily Hogeveen
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
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