Winter weather worries top Canadian concerns

FIRST ONSITE kicks off winter with readiness guides for communities, residents, and businesses

/EIN News/ -- MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Dec. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Onsite Property Restoration, has released its winter preparedness guides – providing seasonal advice for commercial and residential property owners, residents, and property managers.

With the official start of winter less than two weeks away, winter-like weather has already shown up in the early days of December, with Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia experiencing winter’s gamut – including everything from snow and freezing rain to extreme cold and massive snow squalls.

The Farmer’s Almanac Winter 2025 Extended Weather Forecast (Canada), calls for a “season of rain and snow with not much downtime.” La Niña is expected to bring below-normal temperatures from east of the Rockies to Ontario, with the coldest period in January and February when frigid Arctic air brings a sharp plunge in temperatures – especially across the Prairies. Above normal temperatures are expected across Quebec and the Maritimes, while British Columbia will be unseasonably chilly.

“Colder temperatures bring a greater need for awareness surrounding potential property damage and the challenges winter can present,” said Jim Mandeville, SVP Large Loss, North America of First Onsite Property Restoration. “It’s never too late to inspect and prepare your property to withstand the harshest weather conditions.”

2024 saw record insured losses from weather catastrophes
As we get set for the winter months, Canada's weather-related insurance losses are continuing to soar. The summer of 2024 was the fourth warmest on record in Canada, with a national average temperature that was 1.7°C above the baseline average. Meanwhile, summer 2024 smashed records for severe weather damage. Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) estimated over $7 billion in insured losses from floods, fires, and hailstorms, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada has called on governments to collaborate on reducing disaster risk.¹

Canadians worried about winter weather
An annual coast-to-coast weather worries survey of 1506 Canadians is commissioned by First Onsite Property Restoration each spring to highlight yearlong weather concerns. The 2024 survey asked Canadians about disasters and how concerned they were about weather-related issues.

• 63 per cent of Canadians fear winter storms
• 60 per cent fear severe rains and flooding
• 58 per cent fear extreme cold, freezing and burst pipes
• Three-quarters of Canadians (73%) are concerned about climate change related weather

Property threats
Drilling down, the Weather and Property Survey also asked people what they felt were the top threats to their property during severe weather events.

• 79 per cent feared for personal or family safety
• 72 per cent are worried about the cost of major renovations and repairs
• 64 per cent are concerned about their level of preparedness in the event of a disaster
• 61 per cent fear the development of mould
• 60 per cent are worried about the level of their insurance coverage

Indeed, it seems the concerns are justified as the three major contributors to winter weather property damage are water damage, ice damage, and power outages. To mitigate these risks, First Onsite’s guide to Residential Winter Storm Restoration suggests that preparedness is key.

Preventing winter storm damage is also critical for commercial properties. First Onsite provides a Commercial Winter Storm Restoration Guide, encouraging property owners to routinely check building access, pipes and meters, roofs, seal openings, generators, boilers, fire hydrants, and more.

Seasonal property damage affects everyone, regardless of geographic region. Areas typically hit with snow run into a myriad of issues, but these properties were built with material that keeps the changing seasons in mind. Places with warmer temperatures that don’t historically get hit by snowfall are now faced with unpredictable weather and building materials that cannot withstand the events that occur.

See full survey tables below, including findings by region.

Canadian disaster concerns	Total	B.C.	Alberta	Sask/MB	Ontario	Quebec	Atlantic
Winter Storms	63%	57%	65%	72%	68%	51%	75%
Extreme cold freezing/burst pipes	58%	52%	68%	67%	57%	56%	55%
Severe rain/flooding	60%	67%	43%	47%	60%	66%	59%
Climate change	73%	77%	60%	66%	75%	79%	67%
Wildfires	62%	82%	76%	48%	52%	66%	56%
Hurricanes or Tropical Storms	28%	21%	11%	10%	28%	35%	64%
Tornadoes or Severe Winds	50%	34%	43%	58%	54%	51%	53%
Home Fires	55%	55%	52%	50%	57%	59%	46%

Canadian property concerns	Total	B.C.	Alberta	Sask/MB	Ontario	Quebec	Atlantic
Personal or family safety	79%	81%	73%	81%	82%	78%	77%
Cost of major renovations and repairs	72%	71%	74%	76%	72%	67%	75%
Loss of valuables and personal items	69%	72%	63%	68%	74%	64%	69%
My level of preparedness in the event of a disaster	64%	72%	61%	62%	68%	56%	59%
Having to leave my home or community	63%	67%	57%	54%	63%	64%	67%
The development of mould	61%	64%	51%	59%	65%	59%	60%
My insurance coverage	60%	67%	57%	59%	64%	53%	59%
Dealing with hazardous materials and conditions	50%	54%	45%	45%	55%	45%	46%

About the First Onsite Weather and Property Survey
From February 22 to February 24, 2024, an online survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of n=1,506 Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, balanced and weighted on age, gender, region and education. For comparison purposes, a sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was offered in both English and French.

About First Onsite: North America’s Trusted Leader in Property Restoration
First Onsite Property Restoration is one of the largest and fastest-growing emergency response planning, mitigation, and reconstruction service providers in North America. First Onsite employs over 2,500 team members and operates from more than 100 locations across Canada and the U.S. With a culture focused on harnessing the human power of its team members and a commitment to doing what’s right, the First Onsite team helps clients restore, rebuild, and rise. First Onsite is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation.

For more information, go to firstonsite.ca or follow @firstonsite on X and LinkedIn.

For inquiries please contact:
Sierra LeBlanc
Maverick PR
647-405-2196
sierra@wearemaverick.com

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¹ Notably, five major catastrophic weather events occurred: the Calgary hailstorm ($2.8 billion), flooding in regions of Quebec ($2.5 billion), July flooding in the GTA and other parts of southern Ontario ($940 million), August flooding in the GTA and parts of southern Ontario ($100 million), and the Jasper wildfire ($880 million). For more information, see here: https://www.ibc.ca/news-insights/news/summer-2024-shatters-records-for-severe-weather-damage-over-7-billion-in-insured-losses-from-floods-fires-and-hailstorms