Time to panic? The home insurance market in California is collapsing because of climate change

As another legislative session draws to a close in Sacramento, the problem lawmakers failed to fix is one of the most urgent facing Californians: the slow-moving collapse of the property insurance market as costs from climate disasters mount.

It “is not even a yellow flag issue. This is a waving red flag issue,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday night when asked about the failure of the Legislature to act.

This year, multiple companies, including the state’s largest home insurer, State Farm, have announced they are no longer taking on new residential and commercial properties, citing wildfire risk. In fact, seven of the 12 insurance groups operating in California — together, responsible for about 85% of the market — have pulled back.

Steve’s note<br>
Yes, this is California, but there is already talk about this happening in Canada. Of course, the federal and provincial governments will offer assistance — but for how long? Will they reach a point where they have so much infrastructure to fix from climate change, that they can’t afford to help all the people who lost thier homes and properties? I dunno'<br>

If only insurance were as cheap as talk.

It is painfully clear that the speed and ferocity of climate disasters has intensified. Only eight months into 2023, the U.S. has recorded 23 climate-related disasters, each with damages of at least $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That shatters the previous record of 22 such disasters the entire year of 2020.

It is increasingly uncertain who is going to pay for all that damage, to, as much as possible, make whole all those upended lives. |Read more https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-14/home-insurance-climate-change-cost-all-californians| www.latimes.com/california/sto…

#insurance #cost #politics #cdnpoli #policies #lost

Ottawa summons major grocery CEOs to talk lowering food prices — or else

The federal government is summoning the heads of Canada’s major grocery chains to Ottawa this fall to begin discussions on a plan to lower food costs for Canadians, as inflation continues to impact grocery bills.

The companies are being tasked with coming up with a plan to stabilize prices by Thanksgiving, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said as he marked the end of the Liberal cabinet retreat in London, Ont., on Thursday, ahead of Parliament’s return next week.

Trudeau said if the grocers fail to come up with a plan that provides “real relief” for middle- and lower-class Canadians, the government will take further action that forces the companies to do so.

That could include tax measures, he warned.

“It does not make sense in a country like Canada that our largest grocery chains should be making record profits while Canadians are struggling to put food on the table and we’re seeing record usage of food banks,” Trudeau said. |Read more https://globalnews.ca/news/9961708/food-costs-grocers-summoned-ottawa/| globalnews.ca/news/9961708/foo…

#inflation #grocers #excessProfit #feds #politics #cdnpoli

Federal government removing GST on new rental builds, source says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce today that Ottawa is removing the GST on construction of new rental apartment buildings, according to a senior government source.

The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters that were not yet public.

The change would lower the cost of labour and materials for homebuilders, and is one of the components of an affordability announcement Trudeau is set to make in the afternoon.

The news will close out the Liberal caucus retreat in London, Ont., where MPs gathered to strategize their approach for the return of Parliament next week.

Most of the party’s 158 MPs are at the three-day retreat, where Trudeau says his focus is hearing what constituents are telling members.

The Liberals have seen slumping poll numbers that suggest Canadians believe the Conservatives would do a better job dealing with affordability and housing concerns.

#homeless #housing #cdnpoli #survey #report #gst #affordability #lower-costs