Canada has examples of almost every type of volcano found on earth, including stratovolcanoes, calderas, cinder cones, shield volcanoes, maars and tuyas. Most of Canada's volcanoes are located in British Columbia. Several mountains that many British Columbians look at every day are active (but "sleeping") volcanoes. Most of them have erupted during the Pleistocene, Holocene, and others have the potential to erupt in the near future.

Volcanism in British Columbia and Yukon
Volcano monitoring in Canada is a lower priority than other hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides. Most of Canada's volcanoes are located in remote locations, even though some volcanoes pose a significant threat to local population. However, as for earthquake monitoring, future eruptions in Canada are expected and could have a large effect on people that live in the region. Over the past 50 years, the Geological Survey of Canada has known past activity at Canada's volcanoes. However, there is still not enough knowledge about the occurrence of their eruptions to expect which volcanoes will possibly erupt next and what their effects will be. Volcano monitoring in Canada is continuing, but none of the volcanoes are being satisfactorily monitored to let scientists verify how active their magma chambers and systems are. If a Canadian volcano turns highly tense, the seismic monitoring system will possibly sense the growing of movement at the volcanoes.
A scenario of an eruption at Mount Cayley shows how western Canada is vulnerable to an eruption. The scenario is based on past activity in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt and involves both effusive and explosive eruptions. The scenario impact is largely a result of the concentration of vulnerable infrastructure in valleys.

Monitoring Canadian volcanoes
The most recent volcanic activity was in the Stikine Volcanic Belt in 1775 at the Tseax River Cones. It produced a 22.5 km long lava flow, which destroyed the Nisga'a villages and resulted in the death of approximately 2000 Nisga'a people by poisonous smoke and gases. The lava flows traveled south 5 km where they crossed the border into Alaska and dammed the Blue River.
10 volcanoes in British Columbia appear related to seismic activity since 1975, including: Castle Rock, Mount Edziza, Mount Cayley, Hoodoo Mountain, Lava Fork Valley, Crow Lagoon, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Meager, Wells Gray-Clearwater Volcanic Field and Mount Garibaldi.

Volcanism outside British Columbia and Yukon

Mount Edziza
Mount Meager (see also 2350 BP eruption of Mount Meager)
Ilgachuz Range
Itcha Range
Rainbow Range
Bennett Lake Volcanic Complex
Level Mountain
Mount Garibaldi
Mount Cayley
Mount Silverthrone See also
Notes: pf=pyroclastic flows, lf=lava flows, lm=lahar mudflows, pl=Plinian eruption ld=lava dome collapse, cc=caldera collapse, fl=Flood.