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CM&Q threatens legal action against man who inspected tracks in Lac-Mégantic
Well, looks like Ed’s not the only one with lousy PR. Who on Earth thinks this type of thing is going to help?
Mr. Harrison is absolutely right. Certainly the people in Lac Megantic have a right to be apprehensive about the track through town, especially when they wake up and hear about yet another oil train on the ground (BNSF). Maybe CM&Q/Mr. Giles could help by taking civic leaders on an inspection tour and explaining track and operations to them. It seems like this would require very little effort on the part of CM&Q and yet it could go a long way to repairing ties with the town (not to mention helping people sleep better.)
guess I cannot read and comprehend, but the quote at the bottom of the story states: " …late 2013, about five months after the oil train wreck killed 47 people and leveled part of the downtown. Since then, the CM&Q has promised to not run oil train or hazardous materials through the community until at least 2016."
so what is the real concern? The CM&Q supposedly is NOT running oil/hazemat thru the community. I would suspect that the residents will ALWAYS be wary of ANY train movement, which is most understandable, but to bring in or allow the college professor, who "worked on the Belgium RR is a mite bizarre! This professor did what, for how long on the Belgium RR? And i am sure he is outstanding in his field, which is…?
My understanding, James, is that Mr Giles has done just that and has worked closely with the local civic leadership in Lac Megantic. However there are always folks in every community that do not trust their leaders - often the same folks who turn to people with more alarm than expertise.
And HaHa…perhaps Prof. Vandersleyen did not trespass on “live track,” but walked along the ROW making an informed judgement from a safe distance. Ironies intended.
Sue le Loon!
If the professor is correct, then what?
CM&B is showing the same skill at community relations as Burkhardt did. Idiots.
Would ANYONE like to claim the tracks are less safe now then at the time of the tragedy? And the tracks then did not cause the accident.
And the European college professor is an expert in what ?
Is private property private even in Canada ?
Anyone with any legal experience knows you can find an ‘expert’ to testify to the safety of anything.
James Erena has the right idea. Give a presentation to an open city hall and then take the city council and some residents out to the track. Tell them bring your own hard hat. Make very clear this is a one time thing. No toleration for trespassing. The higher up the people that come the better.
They’ll feel empowered. CM&Q shows they care. They shouldn’t file a lawsuit unless they feel they have to. It makes them look like they have something to hide.
Irving oil has announced that due to current crude oil pricing they will no longer be getting oil via rail so there is no reason to be shipping oil through this town.
When professor Vandersleyen worked for the railroad in Belgium, what exactly was his job? Is he qualified to claim that the tracks were unsafe? Obviously there are a lot of hard feelings on both sides-perhaps the railroad needs to bring in somebody or a group who are qualified in the matter of rail inspection and repair and have them inspect the rails.
SOUNDS LIKE A MODERN PROF. FROM THE IVY LEAGUE