We'll never know what might have been, and neither will the residents of Lac-Megantic because the Harper government never mandated the proposed changes. Our attention must turn to the federal government because it has a lot to answer for and more importantly, a lot to do.

The Rail World Inc., the company involved with the Lac-Megantic derailment, could use a lesson or two in public relations. It took company president Ed Burkhardt four days to get himself to Lac-Megantic, and he spent those days casting blame on the town's fire department and making bad jokes about having to wear a bulletproof vest whenever he did visit. A company's priority should be to take a respectful tone while providing a frank and honest assessment of its own role in an incident. That's not only the right and decent thing to do, it also happens to be a good business decision. It's a lesson Ed Burkhardt may be learning the hard way.

The picture of the small Quebec town engulfed in a sky high fireball after a train derailment in Lac-Megantic would make a macabre poster for all that is wrong with our fossil fuel addiction. The tagline could read: "Are we nuts?"