The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has just five inspectors to keep track of Ontario's 27,000 oil and gas wells, the province's auditor general has found. More than 15,300 of the wells were known to be abandoned, while the ministry couldn't say whether another 7,300 were abandoned or not, an AG report said. Some 1,625 abandoned wells in Ontario were never plugged at all, the AG points out. "The ministry acknowledges the concerns related to the ministry’s oil and gas well inspection program," the ministry said in a written response. The ministry could not provide the AG with a list of high-risk wells that have or have not been plugged, the AG said.

Source: CBC News November 30, 2022 17:42 UTC