Credit Where It Is Due

"Generally what we hear in the media is about corruption, about people who have committed errors -- unpardonable and incomprehensible for someone in public office. But there are 1,113 mayors in Quebec, there are people doing fantastic things to make a difference in their towns, and we don't hear about that.
"We have discovered a woman who has stood up and shown excellent qualities for managing a crisis. She is picking up the pieces of a situation over which she had no control."
Eric Forest, president, Union des Municipalites du Quebec

It takes nerve, fortitude, empathy and determination to withstand the emotional shock personally experienced to take on the mantle of someone in control as mayor of a small town that has had its life completely disrupted in the manner that Lac-Megantic has suffered. A perfect summer evening following a languid summer day in July and then suddenly everything has changed dramatically, and with a finality to almost fifty town residents who did not live to see the following dawn.

A town whose character was built originally upon rail traffic conveying the necessities of life, transformed into a present-day town no longer dependent on the train to enable it to survive, but seeing it barge through daily with its loads of chemical, fuel oils en route to further destination, was suddenly awakened from its dream of tomorrow. The entire downtown section of Lac-Megantic wiped from reality, and with it people whom everyone knew, and many were related to.

The rail company whose corporate benefits were reliant on its tracks transiting the town was responsible for ensuring that fail-safe methodology was in place for the very purpose of safe-guarding passage and the property and lives of the towns its rolling stock passed through. To assuage the grief of Lac-Megantic the Montreal, Maine&Atlantic railway expressed its deep and heartfelt regret at the dreadful accident.

Family members of the victims of the train explosion were allowed to visit the site of the crash in Lac-Mégantic, about 100 kilometres east of Sherbrooke Thursday July 18, 2013, where a train carrying crude oil exploded after derailing. Photograph by: Vincenzo D'Alto, The Gazette

And that, to the moment appears to express the extent to which it has committed its corporate responsibility. Although it took immediate steps to engage the professional clean-up crews whose costly but necessary work is required to help bring the town back to normalcy even while it grieves, the company appears to have abandoned the responsibility that attaches to expending funding for the work involved.

Lac Megantic's resolute Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche has gathered her dignity of office and representative responsibility to convey to the MM&A executive that the municipality, faced with a withdrawal of services by unpaid clean-up workers, extended $4.1-million in due payment to those contracted to clean the horrendous mess left by MM&A dilatory negligence to fine details incumbent upon them by decency, social morality and sound business ethics.

Lac-Mégantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche walks away from shores of Mégantic Lake, about 100 kilometres east of Sherbrooke Thursday July 18, 2013, where a train carrying crude oil exploded after derailing.   Photograph by: Vincenzo D'Alto , The Gazette

"I hoped the company would behave as a good corporate citizen", said Mayor Roy-Laroche, after the deadline for response had come and gone, and MM&A appeared to have completely ignored the legal request for response to pay for what they have wrought upon the town. A warrant was executed for Surete du Quebec to search the offices of MM&A in nearby Farnham, Quebec.

The company has much to answer for, not the least of which has been its deplorable reaction relating to its responsibilities.