Wheatley no longer under emergency order

By Mark Ribble

For the first time in over three years, the village of Wheatley is no longer under an emergency order.

Chatham-Kent Fire Chief Chris Case, Mayor Darrin Canniff, Councillor Lauren Anderson and other members of council and administration met in the council chambers on Thursday, October 31 to sign the decree to release Wheatley from its state of emergency.

“This is a very big day for Wheatley,” exclaimed Anderson as the Mayor signed the document. “Chief Case is definitely the hero of our town and will always be.”

Fellow Ward One Councillor Melissa Harrigan was equally grateful, especially to the people of Wheatley.

“A huge thanks to the town of Wheatley for their patience and perseverance,” she said.

Mayor Canniff said that it was truly a community effort.

“This is the best signature I’ve ever made,” he said, referring to signing the document to end the emergency order.

As for Chief Chris Case, he said that the three years had been so up-and-down that he felt emotional to be a part of the signing.

“It’s been a very emotional time for everyone,” he said. “That town has been resilient.”

Case said that even though the emergency order has been lifted, fire personnel will still monitor the site for about six months before closing the file on the incident.

He said that while they don’t expect anything to happen, it would be foolhardy to assume it would never happen again, seeing that there are about 20,000 known gas wells across Ontario.

He praised local personnel for their response and hard work.

“The effect on the local firefighters is enormous,” he said. “One thing Wheatley should be rightly proud of is their firefighters.”

Case went on to say that from an emergency response perspective, they’ve learned a great deal through the incident.

Councillor Lauren Anderson says that future development in the immediate area will be based on what the community wants.

“I think the community loves the idea of the space being a park,” she said. “We’re now at a place where everyone can breathe a little easier.”