If it feels like Alberta has been getting hammered this year, it has. Edmonton just recorded its wettest June in the city's history, with 244 millimeters of rain by June 27, breaking a record that had stood since 1914. The town of Tofield declared an overland flooding emergency and cancelled its Canada Day plans. Hail season started early in southern Alberta, and storms have been rolling across the Prairies for weeks. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has described it as an active start to the severe weather season across Western Canada.
When the rain is coming down like this, here is the question I want every business owner to ask before they ever need to file a claim. Does my business actually have flood coverage?
It is a fair question, because the answer surprises people. On many commercial policies, overland flood is not automatically included. Overland flooding, which is water that flows in over land from heavy rain or an overflowing river or storm system, is often a separate coverage you have to add. Sewer backup, when an overloaded system pushes water back into your building, is also frequently its own add-on with its own limit. Plenty of business owners assume water damage is water damage and that they are covered. Then the water comes in, and they learn the hard way that the coverage was never added.
This is the moment to confirm it, not after. A few minutes checking what your business actually carries can be the difference between a covered loss and a very expensive cleanup, lost inventory, and downtime you pay for yourself.
Hail is the other half of the story. Calgary sits in what is known as Hail Alley, and Alberta has had at least one major hailstorm every year for the past two decades, adding up to more than $11 billion in insured damage. The August 2024 Calgary storm alone caused over $3.2 billion, the costliest hailstorm in Canadian history. These are not freak events anymore. They are the pattern, and it is worth making sure your building, your equipment, and your vehicles are actually covered for it.
None of this is meant to scare anyone. It is meant to put you in control before the next storm, rather than reacting after it. The weather is not slowing down, but your exposure to a nasty surprise is something you can actually fix.
If you are not certain whether your business carries overland flood and sewer backup coverage, that is a quick thing to confirm, and exactly the kind of question I am always glad to help you answer.
Mandy Stierman, Founder and Principal Broker
Velocity Insurance Inc. | www.velocityinsurance.ca