Definity has renewed and expanded its partnership with ALUS through a new three-year, $1.5 million commitment to community-led, farmer-delivered environmental projects across Canada.
The multi-year agreement builds on support that began in 2023 and reflects the insurer’s growing focus on nature-based solutions as a way to reduce climate risk, strengthen rural resilience and deliver measurable environmental outcomes. ALUS, formerly known as Alternative Land Use Services, is a national charity organization providing direct financial and technical support to farmers and ranchers.
Under the renewed deal, Definity's funding will support farmers and ranchers in restoring wetlands and native grasslands, planting trees and wildlife habitat, improving soil health and enhancing the resilience of both the land and the communities that rely on it. The investment will underwrite on-the-ground project delivery as well as ALUS' national data systems, which track environmental and social outcomes across its network.
With multi-year stability, ALUS can work more closely with farmers and ranchers as they implement projects that reduce climate risk, enhance biodiversity and benefit communities across Canada. ALUS said its programme now involves more than 1,500 farmers and ranchers managing over 38,000 acres of nature-based projects.
“Farmers and ranchers are doing some of the most important climate adaptation work in the country and this new multi-year commitment ensures they have the stable, long-term support they need,” said Jill Weaver, director of partnerships at ALUS. “Definity’s continued leadership strengthens local capacity, improves soil and water systems, restores habitat and builds resilience across our shared landscape.”
Surging climate losses
Definity’s renewed investment lands against a backdrop of rapidly escalating catastrophe losses. Insured damage from severe weather events in Canada topped more than $8 billion in 2024, the highest annual figure on record and over 12 times the average in the 2000s, according to CatIQ data cited by the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Floods, wildfires and hailstorms have repeatedly devastated rural and small‑town communities, putting pressure on property and farm insurance premiums and raising questions about long‑term insurability in the most exposed areas.
In that context, wetland and grassland restoration, improved soil structure and healthier watersheds offer tangible risk-management benefits: slowing and storing water to reduce downstream flood peaks, improving drought resilience, stabilizing soils and providing natural buffers against fire spread.
"This renewed commitment to ALUS reflects that purpose in action, helping farmers and ranchers restore ecosystems, strengthen rural resilience, and reduce climate risk. Together, we’re advancing nature-based solutions and creating lasting benefits for communities across Canada," said Brendan Seale, AVP, Environmental, Social and Governance, Definity.
Other companies following suit
Definity is not alone in turning to nature-based solutions. Other Canadian insurers, including Intact Financial and Co‑operators, have launched or funded watershed restoration, wetland protection and community resilience projects in partnership with municipalities and NGOs, seeing them as complementary to traditional underwriting and pricing tools.
At the same time, regulators such as OSFI are pushing carriers to better understand and manage physical climate risks under its climate risk management guideline, encouraging more forward‑looking approaches to adaptation at the portfolio and community level.
For Definity, the ALUS partnership aligns with its broader ESG strategy and climate commitments, while also supporting distribution in key rural and agricultural markets through visible investment in local resilience.
