Province announces additional $11M for Wheatley

Noting there has been progress, but still much work left to do, the province has announced more than $11 million in new money for Wheatley.

The small community, located in the southwest corner of Chatham-Kent, was rocked by a gas explosion downtown two years ago this month, with emergency management efforts and the investigation into the source of the gas still ongoing.

Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Graydon Smith was on hand for Wednesday’s announcement, which was originally slated to take place near the site, but instead held inside the fire hall due to the weather.

Speaking to a gathering of municipal officials, first responders and some residents, he called the Aug. 26, 2021 explosion an “unprecedented” event.

“I know it continues to be a difficult situation for local residents and business owners,” he said. “It is a strong, close-knit community.”

The provincial funding includes:

The new money builds on the more than $27 million the province has invested to date to support the investigation, recovery and monitoring activities in Chatham-Kent, as well as support for eligible businesses and residents.

Smith said the site continues to be monitored and has been deemed safe, but further investigation is needed.

“We continue to work collaboratively with the municipality as they continue investigations and monitoring, and manage and recover from this terrible event,” he said.

In June, the province announced a $26-million investment to manage the risks posed by old oil and gas wells and subsurface gas migration hazards across Ontario.

A portion of this funding will be dedicated to help municipalities, including Chatham-Kent, facing complex challenges related to the production of petroleum resources that occurred in their communities.

Ontario has records for approximately 27,000 oil and gas wells, mostly on private land in Southwestern Ontario.

As for the Wheatley incident, gas was first identified at an Erie Street North site in June of 2021, prompting the immediate evacuation of homes and businesses in the area.

The following month, three dozen homes and businesses were evacuated from Wheatley’s downtown after hydrogen sulphide was detected again.

On Aug. 26, 2021, toxic gas detectors raised the alarm that afternoon, providing municipal staff and emergency crews enough time to clear the area before a blast destroyed two buildings about 90 minutes later. Twenty people suffered minor injuries from the explosion.

Earlier this year, the municipality announced it planned to reach out to property owners within the present evacuation zone about the possibility of purchasing those properties as part of a conceptual mitigation plan for the community.

Chief administrator Michael Duben, who was at Wednesday’s event, said there are more discussions planned in the near future.

He noted there are 13 properties in total.

“We’re just starting to get back some of those appraisal numbers,” Duben said. “I think we’re very close to the point now where we can start sitting down with those property owners. I would say we’re a couple of weeks away.”

He said the municipality wants to acquire the properties to potentially find the source of the gas.

The municipality is “securing the buildings on those properties, so that we can get underneath them and see if, in fact, we can identify where the gas is coming from,” Duben said.