Officials sign order to terminate emergency in Wheatley

An official signing of the order to terminate the emergency in Wheatley took place in Chatham-Kent Thursday afternoon.

The signing happened in the council chambers at the Chatham Civic Centre, signed by Mayor Darrin Canniff.

Canniff was joined by Chief of Fire and Rescue Services Chris Case, Councillor Lauren Anderson, and Director of Public Works Ryan Brown.

“This is a major step in the revitalization of Wheatley; this is where the rubber meets the road in planning for Wheatley’s future,” said Canniff.

“The people of Wheatley have been nothing short of incredible in the face of the adversity that this emergency has called. I would like to thank the province, who has been very supportive of our needs. Without their funding and support, we would not be in the great place that we are today.”

Canniff expressed his optimism about Wheatley’s future.

Celebration in Wheatley, Ont. as the emergency is officially terminated on Oct. 31, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Officials said due to what they found during the latest investigation into gas presence in the town.

On July 19, 2021, an emergency was declared in Wheatley following the detection of Hydrogen Sulfide gas. The following month, on Aug. 26, an explosion occurred at 15 Erie Street North and expanded the emergency evacuation zone. Three years later, following site demolition, a successful investigation, and the plugging of an uncovered well, municipal officials are officially ending the emergency order.

Earlier this year, council approved the acquisition of buildings affected by the explosion, beginning the demolition process. The investigation started after 15 buildings were knocked down.

An abandoned petroleum well was found at 17 Talbot Street East and was plugged. No gas signatures have been detected since, leading officials to believe the problem was solved.

Ongoing testing will continue to confirm gas is no longer present in Wheatley’s downtown.

A construction site in Wheatley, as seen on September 3, 2024 (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“The joint teams of the municipality and its partners have worked tirelessly to discover the source of the risk and to protect and remediate the impacts to the community," said Chief of Fire and Rescue Services Chris Case.

“Over the past 41 months, we have been nothing but humbled by the resilience of the community, their proactive approach and their support for one another and those engaged in operations.”

Downtown Wheatley, Ont. seen on Oct. 31, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

Case continued, expressing his appreciation and gratitude to the firefighters who have “maintained a vigilant and compassionate watch for the community as these works have progressed.”