62% of Canadians aren’t worried about flood risk: Intact

A majority of Canadians underestimate their exposure to flood risk, even though flooding remains Canada’s most common and costly natural hazard.

Sixty-two percent of Canadians aren’t concerned about flooding in their home or community, according to new survey data released by Intact Financial Corporation on Apr. 1.

Despite this, federal data shows 80% of major Canadian cities are wholly or partially built on or near floodplains.

Intact’s survey was conducted by Léger among 1,639 Canadians between March 13-16.

The finding highlights Canada’s persistent “national flood risk blind spot,” as Intact calls it, which continues to influence preparedness and insurance uptake.

Many Canadians have yet to take action

With spring thaws accelerating flood risks, Intact is urging Canadians to prepare and reduce their exposure to costly damage from rapid snowmelt and rain, which can overwhelm blocked drains and gutters, leading to pooled water near foundations and seepage into homes.

Simple preventive actions, such as maintaining drainage systems or installing sump pumps, can significantly reduce damage, yet many homeowners have not taken these steps, Intact notes.

Even among those willing to act, “access to trusted professionals is emerging as a notable barrier to risk mitigation,” Intact says. According to the insurer, one in five Canadians cite difficulty securing reliable contractors as among their top three obstacles to taking additional steps to protect their home against extreme weather.

Misplaced focus

The persistent perception gap highlighted by Intact’s finding is reinforced by how Canadians think about water-related risks more broadly.

While 2024 saw several significant flooding events across Canada, 2025 was comparatively benign for major flood events.

In quieter years, attention often shifts to more visible or seasonal risks.

Separate industry data shows Canadians are increasingly concerned about winter-related risks such as burst pipes and power outages.

According to First Onsite Property Restoration’s annual property and weather survey, released in December, seven in 10 Canadians are worried about winter storms and power outages, while 68% are concerned about extreme cold and burst pipes.

Despite this, most actual winter damage stems from routine flooding scenarios that involve drain backups and sump pump failures, First Onsite says.

This can include spring snowmelt overwhelming municipal drainage systems, ice damming that forces water back into roofs and walls, and heavy rainfall that exceeds grading or foundation drainage capacity, allowing water to pool and seep into basements. In urban areas, aging infrastructure and limited stormwater capacity can compound the issue, turning moderate rainfall into localized flooding events.

Individually, these incidents may appear minor. But they generate a steady volume of insurance claims every year, with mostly preventable losses that can accumulate significantly across portfolios, even in a year of virtually no headline-grabbing disasters.

The situation sees more Canadians opting to prepare for the risks they notice, and not always for the ones most likely to cause loss.

Bridging the awareness gap

Historically, industry surveys consistently point to awareness gaps, with many Canadians either unaware of their flood risk or assuming they’re not exposed, even when living in flood-prone areas.

The challenge for the industry is managing escalating losses while closing the gap that continues to influence Canadians’ mitigation behaviour and coverage decisions.

In the decade before 2024’s record-breaking catastrophic events, floods have cost insurers on average $800 million a year, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.