The Ontario government will continue to support residents who have been displaced by the gas explosion and evacuation in Wheatley.
The provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced on Friday that it will be extending the housing assistance program for those Wheatley residents.
“The uncertainty of accommodations has understandably been a cause of great anxiety for residents,” said April Rietdyk, Chatham Kent’s general manager of Community Human Services, in a news release. “This program will provide some stability in terms of residents’ ability to having accommodation costs covered.”
Rietdyk said residents are urged to continue working with caseworkers who have been assisting with their claims.
According to the municipality, those who are participating in the program are being contacted by the province.
In the meantime, work is continuing at the site of the August 26 explosion in downtown Wheatley. Investigators have collected water samples from monitoring wells that were installed in the area. Municipal officials have said the samples should help investigators get a better understanding of the geology underneath Wheatley, in order to prevent future gas leaks in the area.