ESSEX COUNTY, ONT. — The Ontario government has announced it is investing an additional $7.8 million to protect communities associated with old and inactive oil and gas wells.
This brings this year’s total investment to $10.8 million to help municipalities safely plug more wells and strengthen local emergency preparedness and response efforts, explains a release.
This $10.8 million investment includes $6 million for the Abandoned Works Program to safely plug more wells; $3 million for the Municipal Legacy Wells Transfer Payment Program, enabling municipalities to purchase specialized equipment, deliver training programs and enhance emergency response; and $1.8 million for science and research.
Since 2023, the government has invested over $31 million to protect people and the environment from the risks associated with legacy oil and gas wells, the release adds.
The province has records for approximately 27,000 oil and gas wells, primarily on private land in southwestern Ontario. Of these, approximately 3,500 are active wells currently in operation producing oil, gas or salt. The rest are inactive, old wells or legacy wells.
