Conversations will be held before the next public information meeting on March 1 about the Municipality of Chatham-Kent purchasing 11 properties damaged by the 2021 explosion.
According to a municipal news release, officials “will be reaching out” for “preliminary discussions” on the purchase of the properties still included in the Evacuation Zone.
“If these properties are publicly owned, that will allow for the implementation of safety systems that may be recommended by the municipality’s consultants, and allow for community input into the vision of the area in the future,” the news release reads.
Officials hope buying the damaged buildings will help with re-building the core of the small town.
“These are only preliminary discussions at this point, and no final decisions have been made by the municipality about whether to purchase any properties,” the statement reads.
On Aug. 26 2021, a hydrogen sulphide lead exploded under 15 Erie Street North in Wheatley.
No one was killed but three people were sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A large portion of the downtown core was closed to all traffic for more than a year as the evacuation zone was slowly reduced.
In Aug. 2022, municipal officials estimated the explosion has already cost the municipality and Province of Ontario $20 million.
