Natural Hazards
Earthquake Hazard in Canada
Western Canada and the St. Lawrence region carry the highest seismic hazard. NRCan publishes peak ground acceleration values used in the National Building Code of Canada.
Seismic hazard in Canada
Most Canadians live in low seismic zones, but Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, and Quebec City sit on active crustal faults or near subduction zones. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) quantifies expected shaking intensity for building code design — higher values require stronger structural detailing.
Standard home insurance in Canada does not cover earthquake damage. Separate earthquake endorsements or catastrophic pools (e.g., BC's Earthquake Commission for residential structure coverage) apply in high-hazard regions. Retrofit programs exist in BC and Quebec for unreinforced masonry and soft-story buildings.
Reference sources
- Earthquakes Canada →
NRCan seismic hazard maps and event catalog
- National Building Code →
PGA-based seismic design requirements
- Browse city earthquake profiles →
PGA values and composite grades by municipality
Highest seismic hazard cities
Ranked by peak ground acceleration
- Burnaby, BCModerate · 0.33999999999999997g PGA
- Quesnel, BCModerate · 0.33999999999999997g PGA
- Squamish, BCModerate · 0.33999999999999997g PGA
- Abbotsford, BCModerate · 0.32999999999999996g PGA
- Richmond, BCModerate · 0.32999999999999996g PGA
- Chilliwack, BCModerate · 0.32g PGA
- Dawson Creek, BCModerate · 0.3g PGA
- Kamloops, BCModerate · 0.29000000000000004g PGA
- Powell River, BCModerate · 0.29000000000000004g PGA