Canada releases first national-level disaster risk assessment

Ottawa – The rising frequency and severity of natural disasters is a growing concern. In recent years, Canadians have seen extreme weather events, like floods and wildland fires, destroy homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure, and leave lasting impacts on communities right across the country. As Canada and the world continue to experience these disasters, it is crucial to increase risk awareness across all sectors of society and to inform decision-making for reducing, preparing for, and responding to them.

Bill Blair, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, released the National Risk Profile, Canada’s first public, strategic, national-level disaster risk assessment. It provides a national picture of disaster risks facing Canada, and the existing measures and resources in our emergency management systems to address them.

The report released today examines disaster risks from three of the most concerning hazards facing Canadians – earthquakes, wildland fires, and floods, with a section on the cascading effects of pandemics like COVID-19 on these three hazards.

The report will increase resiliency in a few different ways:

• It provides decision-makers with a consolidated, national picture of disaster risk and associated capabilities, to understand how and where to intervene to build resilience.
• It provides Canadians with a better understanding of the risks they face in order to prepare for, manage, and recover from emergencies.
• It helps communities understand the realities of increased  disasters, including those associated with climate change.

The report is based on broad public engagement and includes input from stakeholders from all sectors across Canada, including representatives of federal departments and agencies, provinces and territories, municipalities, Indigenous organizations and communities, as well as the academic, private, volunteer, and non-governmental sectors.