The Insurance Bureau of Canada is calling for national discussions about how to better manage rebuilding after disasters as their cost and frequency grow.
The bureau is asking the federal government to lead talks with provinces on disaster recovery as efforts to rebuild Jasper, Alta., encounter delays a year after a wildfire destroyed about a third of the town’s buildings.
IBC says that as of July 7, officials have only issued rebuilding permits for 56 of the 358 buildings that burned down, a much slower process than after the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires.
Part of the complication is the added regulation from the town being in a national park, but IBC says a lack of co-ordinated and standardized response is also an issue.
Craig Stewart, vice-president of climate change and federal issues at IBC, says delays in rebuilding are happening more frequently after major disasters so there needs to be more co-ordination such as a central agency to help manage the recovery.
The calls come as July 22 marks one year from when the Jasper wildfire caused an estimated $1.2 billion in insured damage, just one of several disasters last year that caused about $8.5 billion in combined insured damage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.
