Alberta Businesses, Insurers Seek Ways To Reduce Exposure From Hail Damage

"Hailstorm Alley" can be a very unforgiving place. The area — which runs from High River, just south of Calgary and north to central Alberta — hosts more than 40 hail storms every summer causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The last major storm in Airdrie in 2014 resulted in $568 million in hail damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. With extreme weather becoming more common, businesses are looking for solutions to reduce their exposure and protect their bottom line. "We’ve been hit twice with hail in the last five years and, when I say hit twice, I mean we had to make an actual claim," said Bobby Tulio, the general sales manager of Stoney Trail Mazda in Calgary.