August 23, 2023, photo credit: Robyn Brady/CKXS News.
Local businesses still feeling the effects of the Wheatley explosion could be getting a helping hand.
At tonight’s council meeting, members will discuss the possibility of hiring a contracted Economic Development Officer to support the Wheatley Task Force.
The role of the task force is to provide the village with leadership and redevelopment and help revitalize the area, as the community rebuilds after a natural gas explosion in August of 2021.
Figures from October 2023 show 20 businesses/not-for-profits have reopened and re-established operations, eight businesses have relocated outside of Chatham-Kent, and another 12 businesses and not-for-profits are still closed.
The province has already pledged to spend 450-thousand dollars to help Chatham-Kent fund a committee of residents and businesses tasked with supporting community development for two years.