C-K gets $12M for Wheatley support

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By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When it comes to recent provincial funding announcements, there’s good news and some not so-good news for Chatham-Kent.

On the plus side, the Ontario government has provided $12.3 million to support the municipality’s recovery efforts relating to the 2021 Wheatley explosion. The money is to be used to cover costs associated with investigation, emergency management, demolition and remediation that included purchasing properties in the affected area.

Chief administrative officer Michael Duben made the Wheatley announcement at the Jan. 27 council meeting.

“Today has been a really good news day for Chatham-Kent,” Duben told council, noting the province has allocated $16 million to help Ontario communities manage oil-and-gas-related issues, with $12.3 million coming to Chatham-Kent.

Duben said he believes the funding came in part as the result of “relationships” forged with the government, adding the municipality is “very happy” about the cash infusion.

Most of the money has already been spent, he said, noting a portion of the funds were utilized to purchase affected properties, something he said was key.

Originally, the province had allocated $3.9 million for the properties, Duben explained, which ended up costing $4.3 million, noting the new announcement covers the cost of all the purchases as well as demolition.

The entire cost of emergency management is also covered, he said, and $1 million has been set aside for rehabilitation work.

Duben said a community celebration is in the works for Wheatley in the spring. In the meantime, emissions monitoring continues at the site.

“Things are looking really, really good,” he told council. “We definitely have a stable site now. And we think the work ultimately has resolved the issue. It’s all good news and I think the province has been a great partner on this particular file. I want to take this opportunity to thank our team. Many, many people have worked very hard on this.”

In a media statement, Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said proactive management and prevention of oil-and-gas- related issues are “essential to ensuring public safety.”

Jones, who serves as the associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said the investments represent a “key component of our government’s comprehensive plan to enhance Ontario’s readiness, resilience, and ability to respond effectively to any emergency.”

Funds from Ontario’s Legacy Oil and Gas Wells Action Plan will go towards helping nine municipalities manage related issues. Ontario has records for approximately 27,000 wells in Southwestern Ontario, primarily located on private land.

But on the downside, a second application to the provincial housing and water systems fund was turned down. Duben said the money would have given C-K the ability to increase water services to northwest Chatham, opening up more properties for development.

“Unfortunately, we were not successful with that,” he said, but noted there’s another round for disbursement and the municipality will apply a third time.

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