By the numbers: Canada’s disaster financial assistance program

OTTAWA — Canada’s Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program, or DFAA, was launched in 1970, setting a formula for how provinces and territories would split costs with the federal government when disaster strikes.

The formula is based on population, with Ottawa covering a larger share of the costs in smaller provinces with less ability to pay. The formula means that the federal coverage for a $60-million disaster claim from Prince Edward Island would be 87 per cent, while it would cover just four per cent of the same-sized claim from Ontario. 

Here’s a quick look at DFAA claims to date:

$8.5 billion: Federal disaster payments made since 1970.

$6.1 billion: Federal disaster payments made since 2010.

283: Number of DFAA claims made by provinces and territories since 1970.

114: Number of claims made since 2010.

7 years: Average amount of time it takes for full disaster aid payment to be made after an event takes place.

$31.8 million: Average amount of federal disaster assistance per claim.

137: Number of claims made for flooding, or 48 per cent of total claims made.

$29 million: Average federal disaster assistance payment for flood claims.

84: Number of claims made for rainstorms or major storms including hurricanes, or 29 per cent of total claims made.

$21.7 million: Average federal disaster assistance payment for storm claims.

27: Number of claims made for wildfires, or 9.5 per cent of total claims made.

$67 million: Average federal disaster assistance payment for wildfire claims.

34: Number of claims that have not yet been fully paid.

$699 million: Most expensive closed claim to date, for 2011 spring flooding in Manitoba. It took 12 years for all the funds to flow. 

15 years: The longest it has taken to fully pay out a claim, for flooding that happened in Quebec in 1996.

33: Number of claims for which full payment took 10 or more years.

8: Number of claims that have ever been fully paid within a year. The last time that happened was in 1986, after flooding in Alberta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press