The province has announced the second-year funding allotment to help municipalities manage the hazards posed by old and inactive oil and gas wells.
Minister of Natural Resources Graydon Smith was in Dawn-Euphemia Township Wednesday to announce that $2.5 million would be invested. This funding is part of the three-year, $7.5 million investment to help communities and is the next step in the government's $23.6 million action plan to tackle the challenges of these legacy oil and gas wells.
"Our government has taken real steps forward in the last couple of years to make sure communities and the people in communities can feel safe," said Smith. "We know there are a huge number of legacy oil and gas wells from a long history of oil and gas exploration and production in Ontario. A number of them weren't plugged well at the time, so part of the work that we are doing is risk assessments to make sure that the wells that we are plugging as a province are of the highest priority and working with municipalities to make sure they are prepared in case of an emergency."
Nine municipalities and counties are eligible to apply for funding this year including Chatham-Kent, Lambton County, Oxford County, Elgin County, and Essex County. In 2023, Lambton County received $105,000 and used some of its money to purchase a fully equipped mobile emergency shelter. At the same time, Chatham-Kent used some of its funds to get equipment for an emergency operations center and gas monitors for residents to use at home.
"We want to make sure that what the communities are doing what works for them, and they best know what works for them, and that it also aligns with our overall strategy of community safety," said Smith. "We are expecting a great response this year, and I will be very pleased when we spend every dollar to keep communities safe."
This year's investment will also allocate some funding to support collaborative projects and partnerships between municipalities.
"This is important, and if you look at what happened in Wheatley, those wells weren't capped properly, so the Ontario government is being proactive and putting money into getting these wells capped," said MPP Lambton-Kent-Middlesex Steve Pinsonneault. "By addressing these potential hazards, we are not only protecting our environment but also promoting a safer and more sustainable future for all residents of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex."
Dawn-Euphemia Township resident Ken Langstaff, who owns property with an active oil well, said this funding takes away some of the unknown in terms of what could happen in the future when the well on his farm is no longer active.
"What happens if this company goes away? What happens if this oil well becomes abandoned and I'm left with it on my farm? Money like this could be available to take care of it properly," said Langstaff.