BC Ferries CEO Takes A Look Back On His Legacy скачать в хорошем качестве

BC Ferries CEO Takes A Look Back On His Legacy

http://www.ctvvancouverisland.ca   / ctvvi   VICTORIA - In just over two weeks the man who has run B.C. Ferries for nearly the past nine years is retiring. The U.S. born executive was brought in as the B.C. Government moved ferries out of provincial control, setting up a board of directors to oversee management of the company. It's a deal David Hahn says he couldn't turn down, as he began to turn the company around. And the CEO has never been afraid to speak his mind; whether it's about the state of the ferry system on Vancouver Island, buying ferries offshore, or his much publicized $1 million salary. "I think the screaming started the day I was hired," jokes Hahn as he sat down for what he believes is one of his last interviews as CEO of B.C. Ferries. "It never stopped. So it's just part of the process here. I think people who live here have forgotten how bad it was in 2003." 2003 is when David Hahn took the helm at B.C. Ferries. He says it was a transportation system rife with problems that he believes is in better shape than when he arrived. "I remember going on a Spirit Class Vessel and there was sewage coming off the top -- by the funnel. And that was accepted. That had been going on for a long time. I don't understand how anyone put up with it; the washrooms were dirty, the ships were not clean, they left late, sometimes they didn't leave at all because we had mechanical breakdowns." There was also ongoing union unrest. It's a situation that Hahn acknowledges was doing the company no favours, and one that had to be resolved with a firm hand. "My perception was that the Union ran the company. Both sides had equal roles in it and we had to build some relationship that allowed the employees to have some comfort that there wasn't going to be a strike every three years." Hahn says a nine year agreement and negotiations now underway for another three years has helped to bring about labour peace. But even with improvements to the B.C. Ferries fleet, operations, and progress in labour relations; the CEO s maintained a reputation as a lightning-rod for criticism. When it came time to building new ships, Hahn went offshore to Germany. Critics blasted the CEO for snubbing his nose at the B.C. ship building industry. He makes no apologies for the move. "I was supportive of the bid for the shipyards here to win the federal contracts -- which they did, which is great for Sea-Span. But, even their own ads said we are going to invest $200 million to rebuild the shipbuilding business in British Columbia. If it existed, you wouldn't have to rebuild it." And then there's the issue of rising ferry fares and reduced ridership; often tied to his $1 million annual salary. Hahn says rising fuel costs are to blame for increased fare, and the government has known for two years something needs to be done. "There's only two people who can pay -- it's the government or the ferry user. And the government's policy for the past nine years has been user pay. It's not David Hahn's policy, it's not B.C. Ferries' policy, it's the policy of the Provincial Government. And they are reviewing it now as their option. But to take it back into government and open it up to interference at all levels which destroyed the company before; it resulted in a $1.1 billion write-off in 2002? Heck, you could have paid my salary for 11 hundred years!" But ultimately it is perhaps money is what brings about Hahn's early retirement. With economic global uncertainty and a strong Canadian dollar deterring U.S. tourists from using the ferries since 2008, waves of red ink began pounding the company's bottom line. Facing potential losses as high as $40 million this year alone, Hahn believes it is the right time to leave. He says his departure has helped Ferries to cut its losses. But ultimately he's going because he believes he achieved what he came to do. And he dislikes government interference, such as two laws that among other things limit executive salaries and fare increases. Follow Stephen Andrew on Twitter:   / ctvnewsstephen