Earthquake insurance: Do we need it in Quebec?

You may not notice the rumbling and shaking, but hundreds of earthquakes hit eastern Canada every year.

In fact, Montreal is one of the most earthquake-risk areas in Quebec, according to the Canadian Earthquake Service.

“Starting in the south, we have the western Quebec seismic zone, which extends from Temiskaming to the Ottawa Valley, and also includes Montreal,” explains Yajing Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University. “It then ascends along the St. Lawrence River to the Charlevoix Seismic Zone, where there was a meteorite impact crater about 350 million years ago.”

In addition, Liu adds, the province also includes the Basse-Saint-Laurent seismic zone.

“These are the three main active seismic zones in eastern Canada,” she said, noting that this has been the case for hundreds of years.

“We know that in history, like Montreal, we had a five-point power, or 5.8 I think, in the 17th or 18th century,” Liu said. “In the Charlevoix seismic zone, we also know that there have been five earthquakes of magnitude six and larger since the 17th century.”

She admits that when people think of earthquakes, they are more likely to think of Japan or California.

“In Quebec, we generally don't think we're in an active seismic zone because most of the earthquakes we see here are small, much smaller compared to the larger earthquakes in Japan, and the larger earthquakes in California,” she said.

However, according to the Canadian National Seismic Network, the western Quebec seismic zone, which includes Montreal, experiences about 150 earthquakes per year.

Seismology Canada adds that on average, an earthquake occurs in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone every five days.

“We got a fair share of the power trio,” Liu said. “If it is close enough, 50 kilometers from the epicenter, we feel the shaking.”

House damaged by earthquake. (Faruk Tokluoğlu/pexels.com)

Pierre Babinski, director of public affairs for the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), says Quebecers tend to be unaware of the many minor tremors that occur in the province each year.

“I think people know there's something about earthquakes in Quebec, but they don't see it as a threat to them or their property,” he said.

A 2019 IBC survey found that 33 percent of respondents said they believed they were already insured against earthquake risks.

Babinski explains that basic home insurance will cover most “usual risks,” but an earthquake isn't automatically part of that.

He states that the range a person can pay for earthquake insurance varies widely depending on the value of their home — and the deductible is often much higher as well.

“An earthquake endorsement usually covers the full value of your home,” he said. “It's a higher amount. So the bonus will depend on that fact.”

In addition, only eight per cent of Quebecers believe their homes are at risk of damage due to the earthquake.

“If you don't feel like it's a threat to you, you'll be less inclined to buy something that you may feel is a little more expensive than it should be,” Babinski said. “It's all about risk perception, so if you don't feel the risk, you're less likely to get that protection.”

IBC notes that the number of homes insured against earthquake damage has increased slightly, from three to four percent in 2018 to seven percent in 2023.

“What we recommend is that people shop for protection and coverage, rather than for a premium,” Babinski said. “If we are just shopping for the premium, we may neglect some coverages that may be important and could mean a lot in the event of a disaster.”

If you find yourself in an earthquake situation, the Great Earthquake Drilling Action recommends the following three steps to protect yourself:

Falling (on the ground to reduce the chance of being hit by falling objects); Cover (under a secure piece of furniture and stay on hands and knees to protect vital organs) and; Wait (until the shaking stops).

If there is no shelter, crouch down near an interior wall and hold your head and neck with both arms and hands.

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