When B.C.'s comptroller general, Cheryl Wenesenki-Yolland, was asked to review the governance models and mission of B.C. Ferries, she concluded what many of us felt already -B.C. Ferries executives were getting paid too much to run a company without due accountability to the public.
Her report, released in November 2009, made a host of recommendations on how to remedy the situation and we're pleased to see the government has followed its own comptroller general's advice in Bill 20, recently given first reading in Victoria.
Gone is the structure that has the B.C. Ferries board made up of the same people on the B.C. Ferries Authority. One was charged with looking out for the best interests of the company, while the other was charged with looking out for the interest of the sole shareholder - the B.C. government, which is, let's not forget, just an extension of the people of B.C. and the money we pay to keep the lights on.
Gone is B.C. Ferries' and its governing bodies' shelter from freedom of information requests. I bet that news has journalists in the province arching an eyebrow or two.
Gone are the obscenely high salaries for the company's executives - well, sort of. When chief executive officer David Hahn started the job, his salary was over $1 million a year -way beyond the rates of other Crown corporation executives. No one will see their current salary cut, but future hires will start at lower rates comparable to other Crown corporations.
All of these are excellent moves by the government to bring B.C. Ferries back into a realm of accountability and transparency. So, credit where credit is due.
But one glaring omission from Bill 20 is the recommendation from Wenesenki-Yolland that clearly stated the province and B.C. Ferries should be safeguarding the interest of the people who ride on and pay for ferries. And while all these things are great, that could be the most important.
At a Sunshine Coast Regional District committee meeting last week, Michael McLaughlin of Best Coast Initiatives delivered a report on a survey he conducted of ferry commuters. The survey found commuters were willing to pay B.C. Ferries' rates, but only up to a certain tipping point of about $65 for a passenger and vehicle.
"Which isn't that far away when you see that the plan is seven per cent annual increases, compounded," he said. "It doesn't take long to get to $65."
To McLaughlin's surprise, the commuters said customer satisfaction was equally as important to them as fare rates.
These commuters, 1,200-strong, are people who live and shop here and help make the Coast what it is. And more people commute to Vancouver than work for any other single employer on the Coast. In short, this is a group of people we would rather not see B.C. Ferries alienate.
But it's not just the commuters' satisfaction we need to consider. While we might not all ride the ferry as much, virtually every consumer product we buy comes in on those ferries, and the costs are a little higher because of it.
So I guess we'll have to take what we can get. Ever the optimist, I'd like to think this is a building block for future changes with Ferries. I'll dispense with the poison and rhetoric with Ferries this time, because my Friday afternoon ferry trips to the city are one of my favourite times of the week. I just wish my, yours and everyone's interests were included in the bill.
