List of disasters in Canada


This list of disasters in Canada includes major disasters, either man-made or natural, that occurred in Canada as currently defined or in adjacent waters. Disasters include natural disasters and accidental human disasters such as those relating to transportation, industrial and mining activities, and health.

List

1600-1867

DateDisasterTypeLocation RegionDeathsNotesRef
Lachine massacreMassacreLachine, District of Montreal, Canada, New France
Central Canada253
Cascadia earthquakeEarthquakeBritish ColumbiaWest CoastMw 8.7 – 9.2 megathrust earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone
Eruption of Tseax ConeVolcanic eruptionTseax Cone, British ColumbiaWest Coast2000One of Canada's worst known geophysical disasters
HMS FevershamShipwreckScatarie Island, Colony of Acadia, New France
Maritimes90
Montreal earthquakeEarthquakeDistrict of Montreal, Canada, New France
Central Canada300 damaged houses, as well as 185 buildings destroyed by fire following the earthquake
Newfoundland hurricaneHurricaneColony of Newfoundland
Atlantic Canadac. 4,000
Central Atlantic hurricaneHurricaneGrand Banks of NewfoundlandAtlantic Canadac. 3,500
Central Atlantic hurricaneHurricaneGrand Banks of NewfoundlandAtlantic Canadac. 3,500
Boston schooner ResolutionShip capture and MassacreHaida Gwaii West Coast11
AeneasShipwreckIsle aux Morts, Colony of Newfoundland
Atlantic Canada340
HMS PenelopeShipwreckCap-des-Rosiers, Lower Canada, British North America
Central Canada40+
Miramichi FireFireMiramichi, New Brunswick, British North America
Maritimes
HMS AcornShipwreckHalifax, Nova ScotiaMaritimes115
DespatchShipwreckIsle aux Morts, Colony of Newfoundland
Atlantic Canada59
SybelleShipwreckSt. Paul Island, Nova ScotiaMaritimes316
Jeannette's Creek train wreckTrain wreckJeannettes Creek, Canada West, Province of Canada, British North America
Central Canada52
Desjardins Canal disasterTrain wreckHamilton, Canada West, Province of Canada, British North America
Central Canada59
SS MontrealShipwreckQuebec City, Canada East, Province of Canada, British North America
Central Canada253
SS HungarianShipwreckCape Sable Island, Nova ScotiaMaritimes205
1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemicepidemicWest CoastWest Coast20,000+
SS Anglo SaxonShipwreckCape Race, Colony of Newfoundland
Atlantic Canada237
St-Hilaire train disasterTrain wreckMont Saint Hilaire, Canada East, Province of Canada, British North America
Central Canada99

1867–1916

DateDisasterTypeLocation RegionDeathsNotesRef
SS AtlanticShipwreckLower Prospect, Nova ScotiaMaritimes535
Drummond Mine explosionMining disasterWestville, Nova ScotiaMaritimes60–70Considered Canada's first mining disaster
Oil Cabinet Novelty Works Company fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada12
[1877 Great Fire of Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John, New Brunswick|Great Fire of Saint John]FireSaint John, New BrunswickMaritimes18-19
Foord Pit explosionMining disasterStellarton, Nova ScotiaMaritimes44
Victoria steamboat disasterShipwreckThames River, OntarioCentral Canadac. 182
Vale Colliery explosionMining disasternear Stellarton, Nova ScotiaMaritimes13
Nanaimo mine explosionMining disasterNanaimo, British ColumbiaWest Coast148
Québec rockslideGeologic collapsenear Quebec City, QuebecCentral Canada40+
Saint-Jean-de-Dieu asylum fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada86-104
The Great Fire of 1892FireSt. John's, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada
Point Ellice Bridge disasterTraffic-rail accidentVictoria, British ColumbiaWest Coast55
Caledonia Mine explosionMining disasterGlace Bay, Nova ScotiaMaritimes11
Great Hull FireFireOttawa-Hull, Ontario-QuebecCentral Canada74000 buildings destroyed in Hull and Ottawa
ShipwreckSinking of British man of war HMS CondorOff Cape Flattery?West Coast104
Coal Creek mine disasterMining disasterCoal Creek, British ColumbiaWest Coast128
Wanstead train disasterTrain wreckWanstead, Ontario
Central Canada31
1903 Hamilton Powder Company explosionExplosionDeparture Bay, British ColumbiaWest Coast12
Frank Slide at Turtle MountainGeologic collapseTurtle Mountain, District of Alberta, Northwest Territories
Prairies70-90+
Carbonada coal mine disasterCoal mine explosionCarbonada BC14
Clallam (steamboat)ShipwreckOak Bay, BCWest Coast56-
Sternwheeler Columbian disasterShipwreckAt Eagle Rock on the Yukon River, YukonNorthern Canada6-
Hochelaga Protestant School fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada17
Strathcona coal mine fireFireEdmonton, AlbertaPrairies6
First Quebec Bridge CollapseEngineering disasterQuebec City, QuebecCentral Canada75
Port Hood Mine explosionMining disasterPort Hood, Nova ScotiaMaritimes10
Fernie destroyed by fireFireFernie, BCBC0Whole town burned down in 90 minutes
1909 October 5Wellington Collieries cave-inMining disasterExtension, BC West Coast32
Spanish River derailmentTrain wreckNairn and Hyman, OntarioCentral Canada43-70
Rogers Pass avalancheAvalancheRogers Pass, British ColumbiaWest Coast62
The Herald fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada32
Bellevue mine disasterMining disasterBellevue, AlbertaPrairies30
1911 JulyGreat Porcupine fireFireTimmins, OntarioCentral Canada73 to 200
Sinking of the RMS TitanicShipwreckAtlantic Ocean, off the Grand Banks of NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada1490-1635
Regina CycloneTornadoRegina, SaskatchewanPrairies28
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913Meteorological stormOntarioCentral Canada250+
Hillcrest mine disasterMining disasterHillcrest, AlbertaPrairies189
Southern Cross disastership sinking location unknown, in Newfoundland watersMaritimes174 episode in the "1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster". Largest death toll in Newfoundland and Labrador's sealing history. ship sank with no trace
SS Newfoundlandsealing disasteroff northern coast of NewfoundlandMaritimes78132 sealers were stranded on an ice floe, resulting in 78 deathsepisode in the "1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster".
RMS Empress of Ireland collision with Norwegian collier StorstadShipwreckSaint Lawrence River in QuebecCentral Canada1012
Britannia LandslideGeologic collapseBritannia Mine, British ColumbiaWest Coast50–60
Burning of Parliament BuildingsFireOttawa, OntarioCentral Canada
Matheson FireFireNortheastern OntarioCentral Canadac. 223
Second Quebec Bridge CollapseEngineering disasterQuebec City, QuebecCentral Canada13

1917–1969

DateDisasterTypeLocationRegionDeathsNotesRef
Dominion No. 12 Colliery explosionMining disasterNew Waterford, Nova ScotiaMaritimes65
Halifax ExplosionWartime explosionHalifax, Nova ScotiaMaritimes1782World War I
Allan Mine explosionMining disasterStellarton, Nova ScotiaMaritimes88
Grey Nuns Motherhouse fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada53+most of victims were children
Sinking of the SS FlorizelShipwrecknear Cappahayden, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada94
Alvin Siding camp fireFireAlvin Siding, Colchester County, Nova ScotiaMaritimes22
Protection Island mining disasterMining disasterNanaimo, BCWest Coast16Nanaimo elevator cable snaps
Sinking of SS Princess SophiaShipwrecknear Juneau, AlaskaWest Coast364
Spanish flu epidemicEpidemicworld wideNational - all regions50,000 Labrador hard hit - killed close to one third of Labrador's Inuit population and entirely wiped out the Inuit village of Okak
Dominion Park's Mystic Rill fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada8
1921 Britannia Beach floodFloodBritannia Creek, BCWest Coast37Debris flood torrent kills 37 people in Britannia Beach
The Great FireFireTimsikaming District, OntarioCentral Canada11
Charlevoix–Kamouraska earthquakeEarthquakeCharlevoix-region, QuebecCentral Canada
Laurier Palace Theatre fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada78
Beauval Indian Residential School fireFireBeauval, SaskatchewanPrairies20
Grand Banks earthquake and tsunamiTsunami and earthquakeBurin Peninsula, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada27-28
Explosion of the SS VikingShipwreck/Explosionnear Horse Islands, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada27Worst disaster in history of the film industry.
Cymbeline explosionExplosionMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada30Oil tanker explosion
Coalhurst coal mine disasterMining disasterCoalhurst, Alberta Prairies16coal mine explosion
Princess Pit rake disasterMining disasterSydney Mines, Nova ScotiaMaritimes21
Pollux-Truxtun DisasterDouble shipwreckBurin Peninsula, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada203Sinkings of USS Pollux and USS Truxtun
Knights of Columbus Hostel fireArsonSt John's, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada99
Almonte train disasterTrain wreckAlmonte, OntarioCentral Canada
Explosion in downtown Dawson Creekdynamite explosionDawson Creek, BCWest Coast21World War II Alaska Highway project
FV Flora Alberta collisionShipwreck140 kilometers southeast of Halifax, Nova ScotiaMaritimes21
1944 Montreal RAF Liberator VI crashAircrashMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada15
1945 March 6S.S. Green Hill Park explosionExplosionVancouver, BCWest Coast8
Vancouver Island earthquakeEarthquakeVancouver Island, BCWest Coast2
1946 SABENA DC-4 crashAircrashnear Gander, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada27
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 108Aircrash/Bombingnear Sault-au-Cochon, QuebecCentral Canada23
SS Noronic fireFire/shipwreckToronto, OntarioCentral Canada118+
1950 Red River floodFloodManitobaPrairies3-
Hospice Sainte-Cunégonde fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada35
McGregor Mine explosionMining disasterStellarton, Nova ScotiaMaritimes19
No. 20 Colliery explosionMining disasterGlace Bay, Nova ScotiaMaritimes7
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 9Mid-air collisionMoose Jaw, SaskatchewanPrairies37collision between Trans-Canada Airlines Flight 9 and a RCAF Harvard trainer aircraft. Death toll included 36 flight crew and passengers, and one person on the ground
Hurricane HazelHurricaneOntarioCentral Canada81
Villa St. Louis disasterAircrashOntarioCentral Canada15
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810AircrashBritish ColumbiaWest Coast62
Maritime Central Airways Flight 315Aircrashnear Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Cœur-d'Issoudun, QuebecCentral Canada79
Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing collapseEngineering disasterVancouver, BCWest Coast18
Springhill mining disasterMining disasterSpringhill, Nova ScotiaMaritimes75
Escuminac disasterHurricaneNew BrunswickMaritimes35
1963 Hanmer explosionExplosionHanmer, OntarioCentral Canada8
Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831AircrashSainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville, QuebecCentral Canada118
Port Alberni TsunamiTsunamiPort Alberni, BCWest Coast0Two waves over 2 metres high smashed into community
Hope SlideGeologic collapseHope, BCWest Coast4
1965 February 18Granduc avalancheSnow slideGranduc, BC West Coast26
LaSalle Heights disasterExplosionLaSalle, QuebecCentral Canada28
Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21Aircrash/Bombingnear 100 Mile House, British ColumbiaWest Coast52
Dorion level crossing accidentRail disasterDorion, QuebecCentral Canada19
Wegner Point disasterMilitary training disasterPetawawa, OntarioCentral Canada7
1969 Montreal fireFireMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada7A fire struck a wooden tenement building in Montreal, killing a mother and six of her children.
1969 Notre-Dame-Du-Lac Nursing Home FireFireNotre-Dame-Du-Lac, QuebecCentral Canada38

1970–2016

DateDisasterTypeLocationRegionDeathsNotesRef-
Air Canada Flight 621AircrashOntarioCentral Canada109-
Saint-Jean-Vianney landslideGeologic collapseSaint-Jean-Vianney, QuebecCentral Canada31-
Blue Bird Café fireArsonMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada37-
Gargantua bar attackArsonMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada13
SS Edmund Fitzgerald WreckWreckLake Superior, OntarioMaritimes29-
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Chafe's Nursing Home fireFireGoulds, Newfoundland and LabradorMaritimes20-
Saint John city hall fireFireSaint John, New BrunswickMaritimes21-
Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314AircrashCranbrook, British ColumbiaWest Coast43-
Saint John house fireFireSaint John, New BrunswickMaritimes7A fire in a brick home killed seven people, all of whom were related to former hockey player Gordie Clark.-
1978 August 4Eastman Bus CrashTraffic accidentEastman, QuebecCentral Canada40Second deadliest traffic accident in Canadian history-
No. 26 Colliery explosionMining disasterGlace Bay, Nova ScotiaMaritimes12-
Mississauga train derailmentRail disasterMississauga, OntarioCentral Canada0-
Opemiska Community Hall fireFireChapais, QuebecCentral Canada48-
CP Rail crew bus crashTraffic accidentWebb, SaskatchewanPrairies22-
1980 Mississauga nursing home fireFireMississauga, OntarioCentral Canada25-
Ocean Ranger sinkingShipwreckGrand Banks of NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada84-
1985 United States–Canada tornado outbreakTornado outbreakSouthern OntarioCentral Canada-
Arrow Air Flight 1285AircrashGander, NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada256-
Hinton train collisionRail disasterAlbertaPrairies23-
Mindbender crashRoller Coaster CrashGalaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, AlbertaPrairies3-
Edmonton TornadoTornadoEdmonton, AlbertaPrairies27-
Fredericton house arsonArsonFredericton, New BrunswickMaritimes4At around 11 p.m. to midnight on April 22, 1988, the rear of the Devon Quik Mart building in Fredericton was set on fire by an individual, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her three children.-
Cormier Village hayride accidentTraffic accidentNew BrunswickAtlantic Canada13-
École Polytechnique massacreSchool shootingMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada15-
Rupert Hotel fireArsonToronto, OntarioCentral Canada10-
Nunavut canoe disasterCapsizingHall Beach, NunavutNorthern Canada7On July 23, 1991, a canoe capsized near Hall Beach, Northwest Territories. One person survived, and seven others were left missing, presumably drowned.-
Westray Mine disasterMining disasterPlymouth, Nova ScotiaAtlantic Canada26-
Concordia University massacreSchool shootingMontreal, QuebecCentral Canada4-
Saguenay floodFloodSaguenay-region, QuebecCentral Canada10-
Red River flood of 1997
FloodManitobaPrairies0-
2nd Les Éboulements bus accidentTraffic accidentQuebecCentral Canada44Deadliest traffic accident in Canadian history-
Great Ice Storm of 1998Meteorological stormOntario, Quebec, and New BrunswickEastern Canada28Massive ice storm hits Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick-
Swissair Flight 111AircrashPeggys Cove, Nova ScotiaAtlantic Canada229-
87-vehicle pileup on Highway 401 near Windsor, OntarioTraffic accidentWindsor, OntarioCentral Canada8-
Walkerton TragedyCivic works failure - e. coli outbreak in public water systemWalkerton, OntarioCentral Canada7-
Pine Lake tornadoTornadoPine Lake, AlbertaPrairies12-
2003 Etobicoke gas explosionExplosionEtobicoke, OntarioCentral Canada7-
Hurricane JuanHurricaneHalifax-area, Nova ScotiaAtlantic Canada8-
Shedden massacreMassacreShedden, Elgin County, OntarioCentral Canada8-
Dawson College shootingSchool shootingMontréal, QuebecCentral Canada2-
De la Concorde overpass collapseEngineering disasterLaval, QuebecCentral Canada5-
2007 June 222007 Elie tornadoTornadoElie, ManitobaPrairies0The only recorded F5/EF5 tornado in the history of Canada, costing around $50 million and having a maximum windspeed between 420 km/h to 510 km/h-
2008 Bathurst Boys in Red accidentTraffic accidentBathurst, New BrunswickAtlantic Canada8-
Toronto propane explosionExplosionDownsview, OntarioOntario Canada2-
Cougar Helicopters Flight 91Air crashOff NewfoundlandAtlantic Canada17-
2011 Assiniboine River floodFloodManitobaPrairies1-
Slave Lake fireWildfiresSlave Lake, AlbertaPrairies1-
First Air Flight 6560Aircrashnear Resolute, NunavutNorthern Canada12-
Goderich TornadoTornadoGoderich, OntarioCentral Canada1-
Burlington derailmentRail accidentBurlington, OntarioCentral Canada3-
2013 Alberta floodsFloodsouthwest Alberta around Calgary RegionPrairies5-
Lac-Mégantic rail disasterRail accidentLac-Mégantic, QuebecCentral Canada47-
Ottawa bus–train crashRail-traffic accidentOttawa, OntarioCentral Canada6-
L'Isle-Verte nursing home fireFireL'Isle-Verte, QuebecCentral Canada32-
Ottawa Parliament shootingTerrorismOttawa, OntarioCentral Canada2-
La Ronge wildfireWildfiresLa Ronge, SaskatchewanPrairies13,000 people evacuated-
La Loche shootingsSpree shootingLa Loche, SaskatchewanPrairies5-
2016 Magdalen Islands Mitsubishi MU-2 crashAircrashLes Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, QuebecAtlantic Canada7-
2016 Fort McMurray WildfireWildfiresFort McMurray, AlbertaPrairies290,000 people evacuated-

2017–2023

DateDisasterTypeLocationRegionDeathsInjuredNotesRef-
Quebec City mosque shootingMass shootingQuebec City, QuebecCentral Canada65-
2017 Quebec floodsFloodQuebecQuebec2Unknown-
2017 British Columbia wildfiresWildfiresBritish ColumbiaWest Coast0UnknownProvincial state of emergency declared-
2017 Edmonton attackTerrorismEdmonton, AlbertaPrairies05-
Humboldt Broncos bus crashBus crashnear Tisdale, SaskatchewanPrairies1613-
Toronto van attackVehicle-ramming attackNorth York City Centre, North York, Toronto, OntarioCentral Canada1016-
– July 52018 Eastern Canada heat waveHeat waveEastern CanadaEastern Canada~54Unknown-
2018 July 9–102018 Saskatchewan Tornado OutbreakTornado OutbreakSouthern SaskatchewanPrairies0Unknown11 confirmed tornadoes touched down between July 9 and 10 in Southern Saskatchewan, the highest of which being rated EF2-
2018 Toronto shootingMass shootingToronto, OntarioCentral Canada303 deaths include 2 murders and 1 suicide -
2018 August 32018 Alonsa EF4 TornadoTornadoAlonsa, ManitobaPrairies1Between both Canada and the United States, the Alonsa tornado was the only EF4+ rated tornado for the year of 2018-
2018 British Columbia wildfiresWildfiresBritish ColumbiaWest CoastUnknownUnknownProvincial state of emergency declared-
2018 United States–Canada tornado outbreakTornadoesDunrobin, Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Gatineau, QuebecEastern Canada031~$300 million damage-
2019 March 1–2019 December 232019 Alberta wildfiresWildfiresNorth and Central AlbertaPrairies0UnknownA series of around 1,000 wildfires took place mostly across Northern Alberta burning over 883,000 hectares of forest. The most prominent of the fires being the ones affecting High Level.-
2019 Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick floodsFloodQuebec, Ontario, New BrunswickEastern and Central Canada1-
presentCOVID-19 pandemicPandemicCanadaNational53,086 -
2020 Nova Scotia attacksMass shooting, arsonNova ScotiaEastern Canada233-
2020 May 17Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet crashAircrashKamloops, British ColumbiaWest Coast11Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet crashed due to engine trouble. Crew ejected in mid-air. Passenger Capt. Jenn Casey, from Nova Scotia, killed. Pilot injured.-
2021 June 15–2021 August 162021 British Columbia wildfiresWildfiresInterior British ColumbiaWest Coast2UnknownSeries of upwards of 1,500 wildfires across the province of British Columbia, was worsened by the heatwave happening at the same time-
Western Canada HeatwaveHeatwaveWestern CanadaPrairies and West Coast685Deadliest weather event in the history of Canada-
2021 June 30Lytton wildfireWildfireLytton, British ColumbiaWest Coast2SeveralOver 90% of Lytton destroyed-
2021 November 14British Columbia FloodsFloodslower half of British ColumbiaWest Coast4at least 10Provincial state of emergency declared-
2022 January 132022 Ottawa Eastway tank explosionFireOttawa, OntarioEastern and Central Canada62Industrial explosion-
2022 September 23–24Hurricane FionaHurricaneAtlantic CanadaEastern Canada3$660 million in insured damage making Fiona the most costly storm to hit Canada-
2023 February 132023 East Ottawa explosionExplosion Ottawa, OntarioEastern Canada012-
2023 March 1 - October 62023 Canadian wildfiresWildfiresAlberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, QuebecNational - all regions8Unknown-
2023 March 1 - present2023 Alberta wildfiresWildfiresNorth and Central AlbertaPrairiesUnknownUnknownSeries of more than 750 wildfires across the province of Alberta. In that fire season, the province recorded 1088 fires that burned a total of 2,222,900 hectares. Smoke travelled as far away as Sweden.-
2023 March 302023 St. Lawrence River River boat disasterCapsizingAkwesasne, QuebecEastern Canada81 person still missing. Victims believed to have been attempting to illegally cross the Canada-US border-
2023 May 28 - presentNova Scotia wildfiresWildfiresTantallon, Shelburne, Barrington and Bedford, Nova ScotiaEastern Canada02 16,000 people evacuated. Shelburne County wildfire amongst largest ever seen in the province.
2023 June 14Southern Alberta June 2023 Tornado OutbreakTornado OutbreakNear Lethbridge and BrooksPrairies00At least 10 tornadoes were reported in the afternoon and early evening hours of June 14, 2023 all across the southeastern portion of Alberta-
2023 June 15Carberry bus crashVehicle collisionNear Carberry, ManitobaPrairies178-
2023 July 21-222023 Nova Scotia floodsFloodNova ScotiaEastern Canada4Estimated $200 million in damages.--
2023 July 282023 Alberta Piper PA-32R crashAircraft accidentNear Kananaskis Village, AlbertaPrairies60Nobody on board the aircraft survived.-