Canadian Fire Victims Struggle Through The Claims Process

Two days after the Fort McMurray wildfire turned Bruce Thompson’s mobile home into a pile of ash and rubble, he called his insurer to report the damage, despondent as he discussed a life’s worth of possessions gone in seconds. The broker made the situation worse. Insurance would only pay him roughly C$60,000 ($46,959) for his possessions, about a third of the appraised value. As if to console him, the broker said there were "numerous people" like him - all under-insured. Thompson’s mobile home is among more than 2,400 properties destroyed or damaged by flames, smoke, ash, mold or chemicals in Fort McMurray area in May.