Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 24, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A11 winnipegfreepress. com TRAIN TRAGEDY WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2013 A 11 CALL GORD AT 204- 633- 3333 440 OAKPOINT ROAD gmatheson@ connexionindustries. ca . F I N A N C I N G A V A I L A B L E . F I N A N C I N G A V A I L A B L E . NEW MODELS ARE HERE! XR 3000/ 4000 SERIES . Eco- friendly Tier 4 Engine . 3D Air Conditioning System . Two Hydraulic Remotes - Standard . Mid PTO Available YOUR CHOICE OF TIRES Industrial, ag or turf tires 5 YRS. POWERTRAIN WARRANTY PARTS & LABOUR LS USED TRACTORS STARTING AT $ 12,999 TRADES WELCOME! LEATHER SALE 630 Kernaghan Ave Door 79 204.988.0800 Wednesday to Friday noon - 8pm Saturday 9: 30am - 5pm Furniture Factory Outlet All sales are final. No Exchanges or refunds DISCONTINUED PRODUCT & SHOW SAMPLES 204- 697- 1400 1400 McPHILLIPS WINNIPEG MB SAVE TIME . SHOP ON- LINE www. jimgauthierchevy. com www. ji mga uthierchev. com THE GAUTHIER AUTO GROUP IS PROUD TO BE THE # 1 VOLUME DEALER IN WPG!! Ex Ex Ex cl cl us us iv iv e to Ji Ji m Ga Ga ut ut hi hi er Ch Ch Ch ev ev ev ro ro le t S t a r t n t r S t Star ting f r m o r m from OnlyOnlyatOnlyatt Jim Gauthier Chevrolet Ji G thi Ch l t J Price is plus freight and pdi price reflects $ 2000 down or equivalent trade. Cash pri ce can not be combined with low rate fifi financi ng. $ 12 , 988 or $ 85 B/ W Interest Rates As Low As 2.9%. Limited Time, won'tlast long. Act NOW! of Winnipeg adults who sought financial planning advice last year read the Winnipeg Free Press in print or online every week. 74% MONTREAL - Victims of the Quebec railway disaster have launched further legal action against companies linked to the derailment that decimated their town - and one lawyer insists the multimillion- dollar cascade has only begun. The family of a Lac- M�gantic man killed in the fiery crash filed a wrongful- death lawsuit Monday in a U. S. court against rail and petroleum firms connected to the oil- filled tankers that exploded in the town. Their lawyer, Peter Flowers, told The Canadian Press he expects to present many individual lawsuits like this one before the end of the week. " We expect 15 to 20 at least over the next couple of days," Flowers, of Chicago- based Meyers & Flowers, said in a phone interview Tuesday. " We'll be asking for millions of dollars for every one of these folks." Word of the looming lawsuits surfaced as Lac- M�gantic's mayor announced Tuesday her municipality has threatened to sue the railway operator at the centre of the derailment - Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Inc. - for $ 4 million. Colette Roy- Laroche alleges MMA has failed to cover the costs of the postdisaster cleanup, forcing the town to write the cheques itself. Companies connected to the derailment may face another hurdle in the future: a motion presented last week in a Quebec court seeking permission to file a class- action lawsuit. The derailment in the town of 6,000 set off several massive blasts, wiped out part of the downtown core and is presumed to have killed 47 people. Today alone, Flowers expects to set in motion as many as five additional wrongful- death lawsuits at the Cook County courthouse in Illinois. His first suit, launched Monday, was initiated by the family of Jean- Guy Veilleux, who was killed in the runawaytrain disaster. The Quebec coroner's office publicly identified Veilleux, 32, on Tuesday as one of the victims. Plaintiff Annick Roy is seeking damages from 10 defendants, including MMA, its major stockholder Rail World Inc., top rail executive Edward Burkhardt and several American petroleum companies. Roy is identified as the administrator of Veilleux's estate as well as the guardian of the estate belonging to their daughter, who is a minor. " On July 6, 2013, plaintiff's decedent Jean- Guy Veilleux was present in downtown Lac- M�gantic near the site of the derailment and was consumed by the fire and explosion," reads the court document, filed in the Cook County courthouse. - The Canadian Press H EARING music icon Paul McCartney play Tuesday night on Quebec City's historic Plains of Abraham is a little more special for Caroline Tremblay than the average rock fan. Her husband was a big admirer of the former Beatle. Tremblay's husband, Guy Bolduc, was among the dozens killed when fireballs from an exploding train devastated Lac- M�gantic's downtown and engulfed the bar where he was performing. " He adored Mr. McCartney," Tremblay wrote in a moving letter to promoter 3 E Event, Experience, Emotion, which offered free tickets to the musician's show for Lac- M�gantic survivors. " You have allowed my children and me to discover the musical universe of this great artist and ( a chance to) bathe in music at a party surrounded by our friends." The free- ticket idea was floated to McCartney's team by the promoter at the beginning of last week. The former Beatle's entourage quickly agreed. Luci Tremblay, director of communications for promoter 3 E, said organizers were touched by Tremblay's message. " I was almost crying when I read that message this ( Monday) morning," she said. " It was very nice of her to write to us." Quebec provincial police believe 47 people were killed in the July 6 disaster. About 2,000 people were forced to flee the area, although most have been allowed to return home. McCartney's " Out There" tour saw him hit the Plains of Abraham at 9 p. m. eastern Tuesday. An opening DJ act started an hour earlier. About 70,000 tickets went on sale for the show. A spokeswoman for 3 E said tickets were still available about four hours before the gig but she did not say how many. Luci Tremblay said 1,000 tickets had been set aside for Lac- M�gantic residents, with about 900 taking up the offer. About 10 buses were also donated in the Lac- M�gantic area to bring townspeople to the show. " We gave them 1,000 tickets but in our mind, if 200 persons want to come, or 400 or 600, the important thing for us was they can do it, no problem," said Tremblay. She said Mayor Colette Roy- Laroche was pleased with the response because it represents about 10 per cent of the town's population. Tremblay was also impressed with the interest, given the circumstances. " Some people are preparing funerals, some of them are moving so maybe they're not in the mood to come, but what we wanted was those who wanted to come, they can do it." Those attending will be in the general admission area behind the zone at the front of the stage. They won't meet with McCartney. " What we heard is that he's going to talk to them, he's going to say something to them when he's on the stage," Tremblay said, noting McCartney and his entourage were eager to support the free- ticket idea. In her email to the promoter, Caroline Tremblay said people in Lac- M�gantic are grateful to see the singer. " It's a generous gesture that will give us a little break from the difficult moments," she said. The tickets given to the Lac- M�gantic survivors would regularly sell for $ 99. The show is McCartney's fourth in the province of Quebec in the last five years. He packed the Plains in 2008 as part of celebrations to mark the provincial capital's 400th anniversary. One telecommunications company has even been offering a three- ticketsfor- the- price- of- one promotion. But Luci Tremblay said sales were picking up as the event got closer. The promoter also collected $ 65,000 in donations at a Bruno Mars concert on July 8, and sent that to the town to help out. - The Canadian Press FEDS' EMERGENCY RULING B8 Townspeople grateful for free concert tickets Thank- you letter moves event promoter By Nelson Wyatt Lawsuits mount as town pays for cleanup ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES Paul McCartney performs on the Halifax Commons in mid- July before bring his show to Quebec City Tuesday. A_ 11_ Jul- 24- 13_ FP_ 01. indd A11 7/ 23/ 13 9: 58: 54 PM ;