Explosion in Ontario Town Result of Local Authority’s Negligence, Class Action Alleges

Explosion in Ontario Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

• Who: Local and provincial authorities may face a class action lawsuit. 
• What: The firm alleges negligence caused a large gas explosion in the Ontario town of Wheatley.
• Where: Wheatley, Ontario.

A gas explosion in the Ontario town of Wheatley came just over an hour after a high hydrogen sulphide reading, according to a class action lawsuit accusing local authorities of negligence. 

The class action is being filed on behalf of residents and small business owners who incurred damage from the August 26 blast, CBC Canada reports.

Explosion in Ontario Town Causes Injury, Damage

The blast sent seven people to hospital, injured 20, destroyed two buildings, closed small businesses and displaced dozens of families.

A lawyer representing the lead plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit said she had sent notices to the province of Ontario and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, and that the defendants may grow as more information is released. 

“The damages are still being incurred. Some people have lost property, others have been displaced from their homes and every month of displacement, the damage number rises. People are unable to conduct business so lost income aggregates every week as well,” she said, according to the CBC. 

She added that her phone had been “ringing off the hook” by residents and business owners seeking compensation. “The word has been spreading so people have been calling Thursday, Friday and all weekend.”

Previous states of emergency had been declared in June and July after gas monitors in the same area detected harmful hydrogen sulphide levels, Windsor Star reports.

As an investigation led by provincial officials, including technical experts, continues, more than 300 residents tuned into a virtual town hall for answers, the publication reports. Leaky gas wells, some drilled more than a century ago and abandoned, are the suspected cause, but the official source of the leak is still unknown.

Strosberg said insurance policies typically wouldn’t cover all the losses, and some businesses and residents affected by the explosion in Ontario might not have any insurance at all.

Local authorities have been blamed for other disasters. Last year, a man filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Prince George after a deadly hotel fire. He claimed the city failed to cite the hotel owner for fire code violations, alleging no smoke alarms went off as he and other guests fled the blaze. 

Do you live in Wheatley? Tell us if you were affected by the explosion in Ontario in the comments section below!

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