Insured losses from two days of severe weather in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have climbed above $840 million, according to the latest estimate from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), cited by the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). The June 9-10 storms brought tornadoes, hail, damaging winds, torrential rain and flash flooding, affecting tens of thousands of residents and businesses.
Since 2021, there have been 30 catastrophic weather events in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, resulting in over $2.5 billion in insured losses. That equates to nearly $1,000 in insured losses per person across these two provinces over the past five years – an increase of 140% over the previous five years.
"The frequency and severity of extreme weather have increased in recent years, particularly in Manitoba and Saskatchewan," said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president, Pacific and Western, IBC. "This trend demands action and that we rethink how we can better protect communities. Surging insurance claims are contributing to pressure on home insurance premiums."
In 2025 alone, wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan caused roughly $430 million in insured losses, while flash flooding, hail and strong winds caused a further $330 million. So far in 2026, there have been 11 catastrophic weather events across Canada, five of which affected Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including a dust storm that caused $40 million in insured losses. CatIQ is expected to release initial estimates soon for additional storms, hail and flooding that swept both provinces on June 26-30, July 4-6 and July 10-11, meaning this $840 million figure is likely to rise further.
IBC's national 2025 report noted that annual severe-weather insured losses exceeding $1 billion have become the norm, versus rarely surpassing $500 million two decades ago.
Manitoba Public Insurance called the June 9 storm potentially its largest-ever single-event loss, with more than 22,000 claims received and expected to climb to between 30,000 and 40,000, which would shatter the previous single-event record of 24,000 claims set in 1996.
Sutherland said this year is shaping up to be another challenging one for extreme weather across the Prairies, adding that families and businesses have had their lives disrupted and their property damaged, and that insurers will continue helping them recover.
IBC is calling on all levels of government to provide incentives for homeowners to invest in measures that reduce weather damage, restrict new development in high-risk flood and wildfire zones, and require community-level mitigation such as flood infrastructure and FireSmart measures where building in high-risk areas is unavoidable. It is also pushing for stronger building codes reflecting current climate conditions and clearer consumer information to help homeowners and businesses take practical mitigation steps.
The 140% five-year rise in per-capita insured losses signals sustained upward pressure on home insurance premiums in Manitoba and Saskatchewan specifically, not a one-off spike. Brokers in these two provinces should prepare clients - particularly those in Winnipeg and Regina, where recent hailstorms concentrated damage - for firmer renewal terms, and proactively raise overland flood and wildfire coverage gaps given IBC's repeated resilience warnings.
