CatIQ Connect 2025
February 4 - 5, 2025 | Metro Toronto Convention Centre
February 4, 2025 - All times Eastern Standard
8:00 am
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7:00 pm
Registration Opens
Say hello and pick up your badge at the registration desk.
8:00 am
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8:35 am
Breakfast
Fuel up for a day of catastrophe content!
Session Sponsor
8:35 am
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8:45 am
Welcome Address
8:45 am
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9:15 am
Opening Remarks and 2024 CATs in Review
The conference will begin with an overview of the catastrophes that occurred in 2024. This comprehensive review will include a chronology of events, geographic footprints of impacted areas, related media and insured loss estimates provided by CatIQ.
9:15 am
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10:15 am
Climate Attribution and Canadian Catastrophes
10:15 am
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10:45 am
Networking Break
Session Sponsor
Morning Concurrent Session A
10:45 am
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11:45 am
Severe Convective Storm Trends in Canada
Speaker
Julian Brimelow
Director, Northern Hail Project
Western University
Morning Concurrent Session B
10:45 am
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11:45 am
Equity-Driven Community Resilience
What does ‘community resilience’ mean in different settings? This session explores the role of the insurance industry and government-led initiatives as community partners for resilience. Topics include how those most at risk at identified, determining where and for whom efforts are prioritized, and examples of initiatives in place.
11:45 am
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1:15 pm
Buffet Lunch
12:15 pm
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1:15 pm
Keynote Address
Fireside Chat: Redefining the Fire Challenge & Aligning Insurance with Mitigations that Matter
The Fireside chat will unpack the weather conditions in wind-driven fires that exceed firefighters’ ability to control and are the dominate forces in home and community loss. The chat will unpack challenges of scale, cost and the low probabilities of success of attempting to control fire behavior through forest management and contrast those with the parcel and community level mitigations that matter to prevent conflagration. The speakers will highlight efforts by insurance companies to align the risk transfer markets and policies to reward owners and communities who take action to bend down the risk curve.
Early Afternoon Concurrent Session A
1:30 pm
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2:15 pm
Canadian Climate & Data 101
Test your Canadian climate knowledge, and learn about the latest data resources, at the 3rd Annual CatIQ Connect After Lunch Quiz Show!
Speaker
Pouriya Jafarpur
Climate scientist, Canadian Centre for Climate Services
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Early Afternoon Concurrent Session B
1:30 pm
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2:15 pm
Fire Prevention
Late Afternoon Concurrent Session A
2:20 pm
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3:20 pm
Is Climate-Proofing Canada a Roll of the Dice? An Interactive Game
Operational and financial resilience against natural disasters and extreme weather events is best achieved through the holistic approach combining latest innovations in modeling impacts, providing resilience financing through public private partnerships, parametric insurance and anticipatory action solutions.
This interactive session will simplify a more nuanced reality on the ground to bring home the combined value of a few fundamental innovative steps needed in order to achieve (or, at least move towards) that elusive resilience.
Speaker
Janot Mendler de Suarez
Visiting Research Fellow
Boston University Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
Late Afternoon Concurrent Session B
2:20 pm
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3:20 pm
Inundated with CATs: A Claims Perspective
3:20 pm
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3:50 pm
Networking Break
Session Sponsor
3:50 pm
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4:50 pm
Navigating the Jasper Fires: Perspectives on Planning, Communications and the Role of NGOs
The Town of Jasper Alberta is nestled in the picturesque Rocky Mountains and visited by thousands of tourists every year. Jasper is located within a National Park and when Canada’s second costliest insured fire impacted the area, the result was the destruction of about a third of the Town. All three levels of government responded to this event, which created unique challenges. Hear from a panel of experts in planning, communications and NGO’s for their perspective on how they navigated this fire.
4:50 pm
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5:15 pm
Student Delegate Presentations
See up-and-coming research from the Canadian CAT community as our 2025 Student Delegate Program winners share short presentations on their work. Also join us for the poster session, taking place immediately following these presentations during the cocktail hour.
Session Sponsor
5:15 pm
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6:15 pm
Cocktail Reception
Mingle with your peers, view posters and chat with our student delegates, and try out this year’s signature cocktail as we wind down from a full day of catastrophe content.
Session Sponsor
February 5, 2025 - All times Eastern Standard
8:00 am
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4:45 pm
Registration Opens
8:00 am
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9:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
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10:00 am
Stress Testing Climate Risk
1. Strengthening Financial Stability through Climate Risk Stress Testing:
Explore how Canadian regulators are utilizing stress testing to assess and mitigate the financial impacts of climate change. Learn how these methodologies help ensure financial stability and guide proactive regulatory measures to safeguard the financial system against evolving climate risks.
2. Empowering Financial Institutions and Clients with Data-Driven Insights:
Discover how financial institutions are integrating climate risk stress testing into their business strategies to drive better decision-making, not only managing their own climate risks but also guiding clients on adapting to climate-related challenges.
3. Practical Solutions for Individuals and SMEs:
Explore the real-world benefits of stress testing for local communities, individuals, and small businesses. Learn how this process is enabling targeted resilience strategies, offering insights on how physical climate risks can be reduced and what tangible support is available to those on the ground to help them adapt and thrive in a changing climate.
Moderator
Kathryn Bakos
Managing Director, Finance and Resilience
Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation
Speaker
Stéphane Tardif
Managing Director, Climate Risk Division
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada
10:00 am
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10:30 am
Networking Break
Session Sponsor
Morning Concurrent Session A
10:30 am
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11:30 am
What’s New in Flood Models
Flood modelling continues to improve and evolve as events impact Canadian insurers. This session will delve into the latest advancements in flood modelling, focusing on the critical tools and methodologies available for effective risk quantification.
Morning Concurrent Session B
10:30 am
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11:30 am
Building Resilience with Building Codes?
Multiple stakeholders are involved in the process of updating Canada’s National Building Code to prepare new housing for a changing climate. The process involves active debate about whether these efforts add unacceptable cost to an expensive consumer product. This panel will offer nuance on the benefits, limitations and alternatives for building resilience with the Building Code.
Speaker
Marianne Armstrong
Director, Climate Resilient Built Environment Initiative
National Research Council Canada
