Most Canadians remain unconcerned about wildfire risk despite consecutive severe seasons and rising exposure in communities at the wildland‑urban interface, according to new research from Intact Financial Corporation.
A national survey conducted by Léger, for Intact, found that nearly two‑thirds of respondents (61%) said they are “not very” or “not at all” concerned about wildfires, even though an estimated 60% of Canadian communities are located in the wildland‑urban interface (WUI), where homes and businesses border or intermingle with fire‑prone forests and grasslands.
The results follow Canada’s second‑largest wildfire season on record in 2025, when roughly 8.9 million hectares burned and more than 75,000 people were evacuated.
Wildfire activity, once largely concentrated in western provinces and territories, is increasingly affecting regions that were not traditionally seen as high risk. Data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre show that the amount of land burned nationally has increased by 81% over the past decade.
A warming climate is lengthening the wildfire season and increasing the likelihood of hot, dry and windy conditions, which, in turn, create more available fuel, more lightning ignitions and stronger winds to drive fire spread. As a result, wildfire is now viewed as a coast‑to‑coast exposure, reaching deeper into residential and commercial property portfolios and adding pressure on catastrophe aggregates and reinsurance programs.
In 2023, Canada recorded more than 17 million hectares burned, the highest annual total on record and more than six times the long‑term average. Major events in British Columbia alone generated hundreds of millions of dollars in insured damage, and analysts and reinsurers now generally treat wildfire as a national rather than regional peril.
Intact’s research highlighted a gap between the level of risk and household behavior.
In built‑up areas, wildfire losses are often driven by wind‑blown embers rather than direct flame. Research cited by the company indicates embers can travel up to two kilometers on average and ignite dry vegetation, debris in gutters, roofs and yards, potentially destroying structures even when the main fire front is some distance away.
Despite that, Intact said behaviour change remains limited. The survey indicates people who have already experienced property damage are significantly more likely to take preventive measures, but 69% of respondents overall reported they have not yet felt the need to act.
“Wildfires are unpredictable, but our response to them doesn’t have to be. We just need to be smarter about prevention,” said Mel Wright, vice president and head of Intact Insurance’s Keep It Intact prevention program. “As wildfire risks are increasing across Canada, small actions taken today – such as clearing gutters, creating space around the house, and moving combustibles – can help to meaningfully reduce the risks of wildfire damage.”
The Léger survey also identified practical obstacles to mitigation. One in five Canadians (20%) ranked “finding it hard to secure reliable contractors” among their top three barriers to taking additional steps to protect their home against extreme weather.
In response, Intact is promoting the Jiffy app, which connects homeowners with vetted contractors for on‑demand maintenance and repair work.
Jiffy currently operates in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal, and is being positioned as a way to support seasonal tasks such as clearing gutters, trimming vegetation and upgrading building materials.
With wildfire losses now a regular feature of the Canadian catastrophe profile, how well carriers and policyholders manage WUI risk is expected to remain a key factor in long‑term insurability and capital appetite in the most exposed regions.
