A meeting to discuss abandoned gas wells in the Essex-Kent region highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the federal and provincial governments.
Residents also told Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Epp that more "proactive support" for property owners is needed.
“Given the recent Wheatley gas explosion, the Essex-Kent region deserves to know what they are up against when it comes to abandoned and orphaned wells. As I did in my question the to federal Minister last December in the House of Commons, I am continuing to press for the federal government to engage the province to help address the financial, technical, and legal considerations hanging over the heads of thousands of our neighbours and friends. This ongoing crisis is only going to get worse until we act collectively,” said Epp.
MP Epp encouraged those concerned about the wells to support a petition calling for senior levels of government to develop, fund and maintain an orphan well program. The petition can be found here.
Epp said he will continue to address this issue directly with the government when the House of Commons reconvenes in September.
Epp said the interest in the topic has increased since August 26, 2021, when a massive explosion at the site of a hydrogen sulphide leak rocked downtown Wheatley. Several buildings were destroyed and multiple people were injured.
According to Epp, southwestern Ontario is home to hundreds of old oil and gas wells.
The province issued a statement on Friday, the one year anniversary of the blast in Wheatley, calling on the federal government to provide support, consistent with the support they provided to other provinces, to address risks from abandoned wells.
"To help the community recover from this tragedy, Ontario continues to work closely with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to provide financial relief to residents and businesses, while providing funding and personnel to find and stop the source of the gas leak," said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and Trevor Jones, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington. "The location of the explosion in Wheatley’s downtown core has made response efforts extremely complex, but substantial progress has been made."
