The Ontario government has announced additional funding to support the town of Wheatley following the gas explosion in 2021.
The province said it will invest $12.3 million to further support Chatham-Kent’s recovery efforts in Wheatley. The funds are expected to help cover emergency management expenses, site examinations, remediation, and revitalization of the downtown core.
“This funding is extremely important to the people of Wheatley, a strong community that has experienced so much over the last few years,” said CK Mayor Darrin Canniff in a news release.
Another $3.8 million has also been announced as part of the second year of Ontario’s Legacy Oil and Gas Wells Action Plan to help nine other municipalities across southwestern Ontario enhance local emergency preparedness and risk prevention.
“The proactive management and prevention of oil and gas-related issues are essential to ensuring public safety,” said Trevor Jones, the Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response and MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington.
Since the devastating gas explosion in Wheatley’s downtown core in August 2021, the Ontario government has provided over $39 million in funding to support investigation, recovery and monitoring activities in Chatham-Kent.
