Southwestern Ontarians leery as province proposes legislation to allow underground carbon storage

When hydrogen sulphide − also known as sour gas − started bubbling up from underground behind the local library in Wheatley in late June and forced a brief evacuation of nearby homes, it was a stress-inducing déjà vu for this small Ontario town about an hour from Windsor.

Four years ago, a similar leak in the basement of a defunct pub caused a massive explosion that destroyed two buildings and injured 20 people − and drew attention to the danger posed by the thousands of old and often improperly capped oil and gas wells that dot much of Southwestern Ontario.