BC Ferries top incomes nearly double

From 2004 to 2009, total incomes for some of the top executives at BC Ferries nearly doubled, according to figures made public Monday.

Documents released in response to a Freedom of Information request show that CEO David Hahn made $526,760 in the first full year at the helm.

By 2008, that grew to $1,071,444, but dipped slightly in 2009 to $984,248, plus $20,649 in taxable benefits.

The dip is partly due to a smaller bonus received last year.

BC Ferries second in command — executive vice president Robert Clarke — also had a 90-per-cent pay increase over that period, earning $479,940 in 2009.

The 2009 earning were originally made public Dec. 10 but it was not until Monday that it was learned how quickly executive incomes grew.

The data on BC Ferries salaries had been secret since 2003, when the corporation was partly privatized and no longer subject to FOI requests.

Changes to federal securities law in 2009 opened BC Ferries to FOI legislation once again.