Hundreds of people turned out and tuned in for an update on the investigation into Wheatley’s August 26th explosion.
The Talbot Trail Golf Course was filled to capacity for an in-person meeting Wednesday night. The 150 allowed inside were joined by a number of residents gathered outside listening on speakers and over 250 watching virtually on the municipality’s Facebook page.
The anxiety and frustration felt by those who’ve been evacuated was evident. Steve Ingram is one of the affected residents, and says he’s tired of being thanked for his patience.
“Don’t look at us and say we’re frustrated, because you just don’t even know what it’s like, you don’t know what these people and myself and my family are going through,” Ingram says. “You’re ruining our homes which will have zero value, which you’re taking taxes from us on, you just keep coming at us with all these things that you say you’re doing, but you’re doing nothing.”
Jennifer Barton, Assistant Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry says the technical team at the site has uncovered three areas of potential environmental concern, or APECs, but says identifying the original source of gas and its pathways to the surface will take time.
“It is complicated, it is complex, I know it’s taking a lot longer than anybody would like, but it is a very methodical process they have to work through,” Barton says. “They are looking at everything, they are leaving no stone unturned as they work through this process and again, with your safety and the safety of workers at the site in mind.”
Thomas Kelly, Chatham-Kent’s Director of Engineering, says building inspectors are in the midst of identifying which homes in the area are structurally sound, and are hoping to provide some residents limited access to their properties in the days and weeks ahead.
“We would like to take the approach that you get in, you grab your belongings, and you get out,” Kelly explains. “Just as an approximation, we’d like to see when you get that access we try to do everything we can to limit it to one hour. Remember the intermittent flows, remember the unpredictability, we’re going to bring you into a safe environment, but we would prefer that you get in and out as quickly as possible.”
Based on the patterns of previous leaks since June, officials are expecting another leak in mid-November, but will see if any work done at the site so far makes a difference.
Video of the full meeting can be found on the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Facebook page.