$ 12.3m Provincial Funding Covers Recent Wheatley Blast Costs, Plus

The Provincial Government has come through to cover the Millions of Dollars Spent by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent During the Last Year to Address the Potential Danger Remaining from A Gas Explosion that rocked Wheatley’s Downtown in August 2021.

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Chatham-Kent has been received $ 12.3 Million of the More Than $ 16 million in Funding Announced by the Province on Monday to Support Emergency Management Needs in Communities Facing Oil and Gas related.

It also was announced $ 3.8 million is being invested, as part of the second year of ontario’s legacy oil and gas wells action plan, to help municipalities across southwestern onhance local Emergency preparedness and risk prevention.

An Aug. 26, 2021 Blast was linked to toxic hydrogen sulphide gas Seeping through the group in Downtown Wheatley. It destroyed Two Buildings, Damaged Others and INJURED 20 PEOPLE.

Speaking at the End of Monday’s Council Meeting, Chief Administrator Michael Duben Called It A “Really good News Day” for Chatham-Kent as he discussed the $ 12.3 million in funding.

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Most of the Money Already has been Spent Covering Costs Such as the $ 4.5 Million Needed to Acquire the Dozen or So Properties Destroyed in the blast, he said.

The Initially Provided Province $ 3 million to Buy the Properties, Duben Said. Part of the Announced Funding has made the municipality “Whole” for the cost of buying the properies Along with the demolition costs.

“Those 12 or 13 properies that we purchased Ultimately was all done on the province’s dim.”

The Funding Also Covers $ 2.6 million for Emergency Management Costs that included Having Firefighters onsite, Hazardous Materials Services and the Fencing Around the Site, He Said.

DUBEN NOTED $ 1 million of the Funding Will Go TOWARD SITE REVITALIZATION, WHICH IS Being done by the Wheatley Task Force, Made Up of Local Citizens.

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Many Discussions With Council Involved Whether the Province Weld Pay the Cost For Work Being Done, Duben Said.

“In Many Cases, we have haven’t been able to tell you definitively Yes,” he Said. “But, Hopefully Most of You Realized We We Were Pretty Confident that it would be paid for by the province.”

DUBEN Credits the Relationships that have been built the municipality and the province.

A More Than Three-Year Long Emergency Order for the Downtown Area Officially Ended on Oct. 31. But some monitoring is remaining in place for six months.

Director of Public Works Ryan Brown Said A Long, Technical Report is available at www.lettalkchatham-kent.ca/wheatley-updates.

But overall, he added, “we are very optimistic that the overwhelming from with gas that we’ve had the site is over.”

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Monitoring is continuing into the spring when the consultant will provide some Further Direction, he said.

“IF Everthing’s status quo,” Brown Said, they may get the recommendation to remove the Equipment and plug the last remaining water well on the site.

Now it may be suggested to keep the Equipment onsite to monitor the situation along, he said.

HAVING SOME TIME, Allows More Thought About What to Do With The Site.

“Our government recognizes the meaning and nail challenges that southwestern ontario municipalities faced in managing oil and gas related,” Said Graydon Smith, minister of Natural Resources, in a media reinse. “We will continue to work AlongSide Municipal Partners to Make Progress Under Our Legacy Oil and Gas Wells Action Plan, Assist In Reducing Local Risks and Strengthening Emergency PREPAREDNESS.”

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Since 2021, the province has been invested more than $ 39 million to support investigation, recovery and monitoring activities in catham-kent, included support for eligible business and residents, the ministry Said.

“The Proactive Management and Prevention of Oil and Gas Related from Are essential to Ensnering Public Safety,” Said Trevor Jones, Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response and MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington in the Release.

The Investments Announced “Take up at Key Component of our goverment’s understanding plan to enhance Ontario’s Readiness, Resilience, and Ability to respond effectively to Any Emergency,” He Said.

“This funding is extremely important to the people of Wheatley, a strong community that has experienced so much daring the last few years,” chatham-kent mayor darrin canniff said in the release.

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