A veteran of provincial politics, Joy MacPhail had been appointed to the board shortly before the firing of former B.C. Ferries CEO Mark Collins.<\/p>\n
Four years after she took on the role, Joy MacPhail is out as chair of B.C. Ferries\u2019 board after her term was not renewed.<\/p>\n
MacPhail, 74, was appointed to the board in 2022, following a five-year stint as chair of ICBC. She served two two-year terms.<\/p>\n
A veteran of provincial politics, MacPhail \u2014 who had served in multiple cabinet minister positions under NDP premiers Glen Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh \u2014 was appointed by the province\u2019s B.C. Ferry Authority shortly before the firing of former B.C. Ferries CEO Mark Collins.<\/p>\n
Cathy McLay, who served as vice-chair during MacPhail\u2019s second term, will take over chair duties before a permanent chair is found.<\/p>\n
Also departing from the B.C. Ferries board are directors Eric Denhoff and Dennis Blatchford.<\/p>\n
MacPhail, Denhoff and Blatchford\u2019s terms expired on June 25. No reason for MacPhail\u2019s term not being extended was given by the B.C. Ferry Authority. Directors are allowed to serve up to eight consecutive years.<\/p>\n
The chair position comes with an annual $100,000 retainer.<\/p>\n
The B.C. Ferry Authority\u2019s board of directors \u2014 the ferry company\u2019s sole shareholder, which oversees its strategic direction and decides who sits on the B.C. Ferries board \u2014 said in a statement that MacPhail\u2019s tenure as chair was transformative and marked by \u201cfearless leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoy\u2019s extensive experience was critical in the implementation of billions of dollars of new capital assets for the ferry system, which will allow the company to maintain its resilience as ridership continues to grow,\u201d the B.C. Ferry Authority said in a statement.<\/p>\n
New appointments to the B.C. Ferries board announced by the ferry authority include Jessica Bowering, a lawyer and senior counsel at Hawkins Lang and Price, and Marlene Kowalski, a chartered professional accountant who previously served as the chief financial officer of Vancouver Island University.<\/p>\n
B.C. Ferries is governed by a complicated four-part structure in which the company operates the system on behalf of the B.C. Ferry Authority, its sole voting shareholder, while the B.C. Ferry Commission regulates fares and capital spending, and is ultimately funded by the provincial government.<\/p>\n
B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union president Eric McNeely said the director shuffle won\u2019t help with climbing fares and declining reliability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe deserve to know whether the current leadership and oversight model is delivering the accountability, transparency and value that we expect as taxpayers,\u201d McNeely said in a statement. \u201cChanging directors is easy. Fixing B.C. Ferries is harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
The union says ferry workers have faced years of service pressures, workforce shortages, deferred investment and growing frustration from the travelling public. It\u2019s calling for an independent public review of the company\u2019s service-delivery model.<\/p>\n