Southpoint Sun - November 10, 2021

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From Environment Canada WED., NOV. 10 THUR., NOV. 11

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Emotions high at Wheatley meeting By Mark Ribble WHEATLEY — Emotions were running high at the first in-person Wheatley Community Meeting on Wednesday, November 3, with residents demanding answers to questions and officials giving further updates on the investigation into the August 26 explosion. About 150 people showed up at Talbot Trail Golf Course to meet with various municipal and government officials in the meeting organized by the Active Citizens of Wheatley group. Lauren Anderson, who has spearheaded community fundraising and relief efforts from the getgo, was moderator for the event, which allowed displaced residents and concerned citizens an opportunity to vent frustrations and get questions answered. Anderson opened the meeting by talking about the support from the community and how the Wheatley Disaster Relief group formed a partnership with the municipality and Chatham-Kent social services. “Thank you to the community,” she said. “The community support was amazing.” She also acknowledged both Kim Grant and Erika Renwick of the Wheatley BIA for the work they’ve done in helping the community through the crisis. The group has raised over $215,000 in the course of three months to help those displaced by the explosion. The panel also consisted of Chatham-Kent

Mayor Darrin Canniff, CAO Don Shropshire, Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly, C-K Councillors Melissa Harrigan and Mark Authier, Fire Chief Chris Case and Director of Employment and Social Services Polly Smith. Representing the Ontario government was Assistant Deputy Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Jennifer Barton. Mayor Canniff was grateful to Anderson and her team for putting the meeting together and told those in attendance that the panel would answer questions to the best of their ability. “We’ve heard from various people that we are not being communicative enough,” he said. Councillor Harrigan brought greetings from all of council and said that all Chatham-Kent elected officials are looking forward to helping rebuild Wheatley. “I am really feeling for all of you and am with you,” she said. Deputy Minister Barton started the meeting off with an update on the investigation. She said that three areas of interest have been identified, deemed Areas of Potential Environmental Concern (APEC). The process so far has involved data gathering, geophysical surveys, soil vapour analysis and source and pathway analysis. “It is complicated and complex,” she said. The first location – APEC 1 – is the explosion

Residents talking about issues as they await the start of the public meeting held on November 3 at Talbot Trail Golf Course. SUN photo by Greg Coulter

site at the former Pogue building, where gas was first discovered on June 2. Four gas probes recently inserted at the location were instrumental in this determination. The second location – APEC 2 – is identified as Well 000981, the decommissioned Tait well that was located with ground penetrating radar. This is in the middle of the municipal parking lot behind the Pogue. A trench was dug and gas bubbles were noted emerging from the ground. Elevated levels of methane gas were observed and the bubbles were temporarily vented with constant monitoring ongoing. The third area of concern is APEC 3 – where a pipe was embedded in the ground in the area. The pipe was removed and the area hydro-vacced to about nine feet in depth. The gas responsible for the explosion – Hydrogen Sulphide – has not been detected in APEC 2 or APEC 3 and has only

been detected at APEC 1 on the four ‘gas event’ occasions in June, July, August (explosion) and the latest in October. Barton explained that they’ve hired Golder and Associates as well as independent contractors with expertise in the gas and oil industry to be part of the investigation and come up with a solution. Officials believe that the gas may be originating in the APEC 2 abandoned well and finding its way to underneath the Pogue building, but they’ve yet to determine the pathway. About 50-75 feet separates the two sites. “We need to confirm if there is a pathway between the two sites,” she said. “As soon as we know how we want to mitigate and move forward, we want to do that.” While she said she knows it’s not as fast as everyone would like, she assured those in attendance that they are look-

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ing at everything. According to Thomas Kelly, Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering for Chatham Kent, watermain valves have now been shut off to all evacuated homes and businesses, in anticipation of winter temperatures setting in. The municipality has developed a plan to allow evacuees one hour to access their homes and remove items they deem necessary. First, municipal officials will need to enter each building to determine if it’s safe for the owners to enter. Once that is determined, they will contact the owner(s) to set up a time to go in with them. Each home will be allowed two people plus a municipal official. If a home is safe, it will be deemed ‘green’. If it’s not, it will be deemed ‘red’. For those in the green category, Kelly says they will set up a time to meet WHEATLEY - Page 2

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