Wheatley Updates

This page will act as a resource page for Wheatley's Revitalization project.


This page will act as a resource page for Wheatley's Revitalization project.


  • Water Sampling From Monitoring Wells Complete

    The investigation has now successfully collected water samples from the new monitoring wells that were recently installed near APEC 2 and the Arena.

    Gas and water analysis is now underway and the results will help the investigation team better understand the geology under Wheatley. Samples obtained at these monitoring locations will be compared to previous samples taken from the source of the explosion.

    Equipment has begun arriving on site for the re-entry of APEC 2. Operational plans are being finalized for a tentative start later this week.

    Homeowner access was completed over the weekend and will be paused while investigation work is ongoing.

  • Wheatley Residents & Business Owners Urged to Contact Insurance Professionals

    Municipal officials are urging those whose properties have been affected by the ongoing investigation into gas emissions in Wheatley to contact their insurance companies or the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) if they have outstanding questions concerning their policies.

    Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire said some residents have contacted the Municipality regarding questions about their insurance questions.

    “The best advice we can provide is that anyone with questions first contacts their insurance company,” he said. “If there are still unresolved issues, they can reach out to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. These people are professionals, understand the situation and can offer the best advice and direction. Their office is acutely aware of the situation in Wheatley and wants to help add some clarity.”

    The IBC's Consumer Information Centre can be reached at 1-844-2ask-IBC (1-844-227-5422) or via email at ConsumerCentre@ibc.ca

    Callers are asked to provide their name, insurance company/adjuster and the nature of the issue.

  • Homeowner Access Continuing this Week in Wheatley

    Based on information learned during the monitoring well installations, contractors are preparing operational and safety plans for drilling out the Tait well at APEC 2. Drilling is expected to begin early next week.

    As a result, Wheatley residents will have the opportunity to access homes in the evacuation area this week.

    No gas readings have been observed at the monitoring well completed last week near the Wheatley arena.

  • Drilling Completed on Second Monitoring Well in Wheatley

    Contractors completed drilling on the second of two monitoring wells in Wheatley without incident this morning.

    No gas was discovered at the scene of the second well, located near the Wheatley Arena. The first monitoring well located in the municipal parking lot behind the scene of last August’s explosion was completed Monday.

    Information gathered from this work as well as a sampling of regional gas wells for comparison with on-site samples should provide more information for investigators.

    Work on re-drilling the Tait well at APEC 2 is expected to begin next week once the equipment arrives on site.

  • Drilling Completed on One of Two Monitoring Wells

    Contractors completed drilling on the monitoring well near APEC 2 without incident Monday and will be drilling the second monitoring well this week.

    Work on that well was halted for a short time Sunday when a pocket of gas was discovered. The gas emission lasted 15 minutes, safety protocols in place were initiated and work resumed when it was safe to do so. Officials say the emission isn’t uncommon in such drilling.

    Drilling of a second monitoring well near the Wheatley arena will be completed by the end of this week. Residents are asked to stay behind barricades erected near the site. Anyone with questions can call 3-1-1.

    Equipment for re-drilling the Tait well at APEC 2 in the municipal parking lot is expected to arrive on site this week. Information gathered from this work as well as a sampling of regional gas wells for comparison with on-site samples should provide more information for investigators.

    Municipal officials note that rumours regarding further demolition of buildings in the area are inaccurate.

    As part of the investigation, a few severely damaged buildings were required to be removed. However, no decisions have been made with regard to the demolition of any other buildings within the evacuation zone.

  • Hydrogen Sulphide Gas Emission in Wheatley

    Contractors drilling a monitoring well near the APEC 2 site in Wheatley struck a pocket of hydrogen sulphide gas 85 feet below the surface at 11:05 am yesterday morning.

    Safety measures worked as designed and the site was evacuated and there were no injuries. A loud hissing noise accompanied the emission which lasted until 11:20 am.

    Thomas Kelly, Chatham-Kent’s General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, said a mobile vent stack system at the site of the well drilling was successfully deployed which allowed the gas to vent into the atmosphere without incident.

    Drilling was stopped and the crew moved out of the hot zone after connecting the well to the prepared vent system to dissipate the gas.

    Work has since resumed.

    Fire and Emergency Services Chief, Chris Case, credited a well-designed and practised safety plan with ensuring the incident was handled successfully.

    “As part of our response plan, we have firefighters 24/7 on-site, they are supported by the Wheatley firefighters who were called. We do not use lights/sirens so as not to cause stress to the local community,” he said.

    Additional Chief Officers and Medics deployed on standby as the engineering team continued their work.

    On-site hazmat and technicians moved in to check that the area was safe while fire crews and technicians began mobile monitoring around the area.

    “We were advised that the event had concluded and that apart from the detectors close to the drill site no gas had travelled creating a risk to the community. All response teams were stood down around midday and the engineers have returned to work. I am pleased to advise that the plans, which are practiced and drilled regularly, worked,” he said.

    Kelly said the APEC 2 monitoring well is the first of two monitoring wells to be installed. One well will reside inside the investigation area and the second just outside the evacuation zone. These wells will allow the investigation team to obtain groundwater and gas samples to support the chemical modelling work.

    Case said the incident demonstrates the unpredictable and potentially dangerous conditions that can occur and supports the cautious approach taken by authorities to only allow access to properties when work is not underway.

  • More Site Visits for Wheatley Businesses & Residents

    As the investigation into the gas leak in Wheatley continues, municipal officials are in the process of allowing business operators and residents visits to their properties.

    A total of 110 approved site visits have taken place. All but three residents who registered with the municipality for home visits have made them. More than twenty businesses have had Initial visits.

    Thomas Kelly, Chatham-Kent’s General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services said businesses and residents with special conditions will be given initial priority on the hour-long visits with the remainder of residents who request second visits to follow.

    At present, visits can only take place during gaps in work on the site. This week will see the installation of gas vapour probes in the municipal parking lot behind the site of the explosion on Erie Street. Two groundwater monitoring wells will also be installed in the area.

    Fire and Emergency Service Chief Chris Case said the area around last year's explosion remains a live operational incident and is subject to an ongoing investigation by the office of the Ontario Fire Marshal.

    "Protocols remain in place for the safety of those entering the site and those working there," he said. “The work to date to vent and control the known sources of gas has resulted in a much safer area. The work area is safer for those engaged in the investigation work and we are advised that the potential for a future release to impact beyond the evacuation zone is much reduced.”

    April Rietdyk, General Manager, Community Human Services, said the municipality realizes it is important that residents have the opportunity to gather additional personal and household items.

    "Residents left their homes with no warning and they have had to make do in new circumstances without even some of the basic items we take for granted in day-to-day living. We want them to have an opportunity to go in and bring out what they can within the limitations of the site."

    Provincial officials have estimated that the investigation and mitigation process could take an additional 14 weeks.

  • Vapour Probes & Ground Water Wells Installed

    Work crews in downtown Wheatley will begin the installation of gas vapour probes in the municipal parking lot behind the site of the explosion on Erie Street. Two groundwater monitoring wells will also be installed in the area.

    Last week saw the completion of the camera investigation of APEC 1 and 3. Although there was no conclusive evidence as to whether the wells are gas or water in nature, information gathered will be helpful to the technical team to arrange the next steps of the investigation.

    The Municipality hosted a 90-minute virtual public information session on Saturday. The session featured municipal and provincial officials providing updated information and taking part in a question-and-answer period.

  • Third Wheatley Well Vented

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    Excavation of the third well in downtown Wheatley (APEC 3) has been completed and a temporary venting system installed. Air samples taken from that site have been collected for laboratory analysis.

    The next phase in the process will be to place cameras in all three of the wells with the aim of learning more about the construction and depth of the wells.
    That process is expected to take place by January 28.

    Homeowner access continues in between any investigatory work.

  • Deadline for Wheatley Housing Assistance

    The deadline for applying for the Provincial Wheatley Residents Assistance Program funded by MMAH (Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing) is January 31, 2022. If residents have not yet applied for either the lump-sum payment for emergency expenses or the assistance program for additional housing costs, please contact a Wheatley Case Manager by calling 519-351-8573.

    Additional Housing costs include:

    • Temporary Housing up to $4,000.00 per month while evacuated. The amount calculated is the difference between current housing costs and previous rent at the resident’s evacuated residence.
    • Permanent Housing if residents do not plan on returning to their pre-evacuation residence, they may receive up to $8,000.00 to assist with one-time housing costs – including last month's rent, moving expenses, furnishings and utility hook-ups.

    In addition to applications, January 31 is also the due date for any outstanding paperwork requested by the province in relation to housing assistance applications.

    If residents need assistance in applying for the program, please contact a Wheatley Case Manager at 519-351-8573 prior to the deadline of January 31, 2022. Provincial funding for both these programs ends on March 31, 2022.

Page last updated: 22 Mar 2024, 07:44 PM