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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 27, 2011 21:18:47 GMT -8
Listen at 12:27 mark, how he pronounces a very well-known sports team's name.
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Post by Scott on Sept 27, 2011 21:40:44 GMT -8
I love the response he gives to Bill Good on this question: Bill Good: "If you were doing an exit interview with the Premier, what would you tell her the government needs to do?" David Hahn: "Well, I'd rather do the exit interview with the Ferry Commissioner" I don't think they got along...
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 28, 2011 11:50:15 GMT -8
I really disagree with mrdot's assessment of Bennett's legacy, but I recognize that we've done WACky before and no doubt will again, but right now it's Admiral Dave's time in the spotlight.
True to form, he's left with his armor shining, at least in his own reflected light. No mistakes, no missteps, progress everywhere, toilets gleaming... He's even taken a bullet for the home team, leaving some of his pension and expected salary on the table to help meet the projected cost savings. What a trooper.
There have been a couple of unexpected epiphanies. He recently allowed that, yes, rocketing fares have indeed impacted passenger counts. And perhaps more surprisingly, he's urged the government to take a look at their user pay model, if the system is to remain viable for customers. This, from a guy who all through his tenure never once deviated from the company man, and never once expressed, at least publicly, any concern for what fares might be doing to coastal communities. He even said it was not a part of BC Ferries' mandate to care about such things. He publicly expressed his disinclination to lobby for a higher subsidy, agreeing with the Liberals' policy of self sufficiency for BC Ferry Services Inc. Along the way, he's been insulting to everyone who worked for BC Ferries before he got here.
There's no denying he's been a good manager. BC Ferries is as financially healthy as possible, given their mandate and their subsidy. There has been a major renewal of large vessels and good maintenance of terminals.The deal with Flensburger, though I believe it was terrible for the economy as a whole, was doubtlessly the best available for the company's bottom line. The only concern Hahn ever expressed for the local shipbuilding industry was a result of him wanting as many options as possible for company contracts.
Hahn became a lightning rod for every criticism directed at BC Ferries. If people complained about the chowder it was inevitably expressed as, "They pay that bugger a million dollars, and they can't make soup...". He was pilloried for accepting a comfortable compensation package, when the blame should have been directed at the structure and the politicians who allowed it.
He's been arrogant, crass, and often refreshingly candid. In recent months, he's spelled out, in clear and non hyperbolic terms, just what BC Ferries and its customers face if the present relationship with the province continues. For various reasons, he's sharpened the debate about what our ferry system should be. In the end, if David Hahn's legacy is to force the Liberals to deal with the reality of the monster they've created in this whole public/private/subsidized/stand-alone BC Ferries schmozzle, that won't be a bad thing.
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mrdot
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Post by mrdot on Sept 28, 2011 14:17:22 GMT -8
:)while you and I disagree on WAC's legacy, he certainly left a footprint for future generations, and I note that even Liberal heavyweight Rich Coleman agrees on that assessment! mr Hahn has just loaded up at the trouf!, and defficated on the legacy of the dogwood fleet! :)mrdot.
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 28, 2011 14:28:44 GMT -8
He seems almost like the Dubya of BC Ferries. He made some improvements, he made some regressions, everyone hated him, and he's "refreshingly candid"!
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 28, 2011 18:06:43 GMT -8
Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like Hahn is a "Professional CEO" who just goes around to company to company without feeling any obligation to stick around. Just a question. How long do you think an average CEO stays at a corporation?
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 28, 2011 19:51:06 GMT -8
Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like Hahn is a "Professional CEO" who just goes around to company to company without feeling any obligation to stick around. Just a question. How long do you think an average CEO stays at a corporation? It's around 10 years, sometimes more, sometimes a tad less. So Hahn is pretty much on par there.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2011 20:04:55 GMT -8
Here is my take on things. The whole crap storm hit the fan with Gordon Campbell trying to make the Liberal gov't look good.
At the start of the take over of BC Ferries things didn't change much. Hahn was plopped with here deal with this, it wasn't a easy job.
Everything in BC Ferries was old and worn out the BC gov't never put any money into major maintenance. On some stuff Hahn took a page from Shell Busey's book make it look pretty try cover it up.
Second thing Hahn did was clean up some of the internal problems ya he rustled some feathers but the management things got more under control. Has management improved, yes and no it really isn't anything to write home about.
People/Passengers always complain didn't matter if it was before or after privatization.
The way I see it now the ferries MUST go back to the gov't there is no way to keep things affordable operating as a " Private " company. If it does go back to the gov't management needs to be cleaned up again. Things have to be kept operating like a private company ie no spending money foolishly.
Did Hahn do a bad job yes and no, he did what he could do you really can't do much more with the money he has to play with to operate the ferry system.
There is more to life than dealing with stress every day at work, the economy isn't going to get any better. In my mind Hahn decided to leave to get his life back and enjoy retirement.
Nothing is going to get better unless Christie Clark says okay BC Ferries will become a gov't funded operation. Lower the cost of the fares so people stop complaining and try make things more affordable. The provincial gov't needs to get back onto the ship replacement program.
There is still ships in the fleet that need replacing they are getting too old.
Who knows what is going to happen just have to wait and see. The provincial gov't definatly needs to get the employee and management relationship on better ground. In the current state management seems to hate their employees.
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mrdot
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Post by mrdot on Sept 28, 2011 21:23:24 GMT -8
:)well here's another take on things, when Gordo took over the reins of gov't his first move was to kill the fast-cats fast, and no attempt of making any good out of this boon-doggle, so it was a complete write-down, and the then ferry corp absorbed a terrible book here, which compounded an allready block obselence problem, and no million doller man, or joke pvte. corp. was going to do a fast fix! by the way in my second career in Delta planning, perhaps the worst councelor in all my time was Shell Buzzy, almost as big a joke as the million doller hahnsman, but they both could command a fast buck! :)ok it's bedtime on this rant! :-Xmrdot.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 29, 2011 8:30:56 GMT -8
Just a question. How long do you think an average CEO stays at a corporation? It's around 10 years, sometimes more, sometimes a tad less. So Hahn is pretty much on par there. Last Forbes report I read it is around 6.something years and has been on a downward trend since 2005 or 2006. Frankly as a shareholder I would want a "professional" at the helm of a company I invested in. A smart board hires the executive based on their skill set to a do a specific job. There are limited people who are amazing at everything, and "allarounder" executives are in high demand and command the salary to match. Sometimes the company hires a "nice" guy/gal who is personality plus, particularly when a company has to have a PR or public makeover. The people who backs him/her up has to have very strong skills to augment that. Other times a chop artist is called for to rescue a company that is too fat. Turnaround executives are common and often do their jobs in 2 to 5 years and move along once the company is on the right track. Warm fuzzies is often not their strong point. They get bored running a company day to day and often do a bad job at it. Hahn was hired to do a job, did it and is now moving on. You can hate him because he was well paid, but that is pretty dumb since the company sets the pay. You can hate someone because of their job description, but that is as equally unintelligent because usually that is done before the person is even hired. But then it is harder to hate a less tangible board, or a goverment structure, than a person. If you dislike a person because they are blunt, or caustic, or glib, or unprofessional etc. etc., that is fair because that is the person's purview. But you know what, sometimes the person you dislike does the best job. Bennett went big, bold and autocratic. It is impossible in today's world to function like that, except if you have a billion dollars, have bad hair, and like to have buildings, golf courses, and a personal 757 emblazened with your name. Bennet fitt in with the times but would not be successful today.
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mrdot
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Post by mrdot on Sept 29, 2011 9:24:02 GMT -8
:)You are dead rite about WAC, he fit with the times, and would not work in todays world! I was just texting with one of my shipspotting friends on one of the old classic ships from bygone years and I terribly miss many of these old vessels, but the boxboat world has changed everything that once was, and I have to come to terms with that! The shipping world has been revoluntainarly changed as has all around me, and I am trying to come to terms with that! in short I am not very good at that! :)mrdot.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Sept 29, 2011 19:16:47 GMT -8
Sometimes I wish we had some of the old days back so a strong leader would push some badly needed changes through. But only on things I agree with and nothing I don't like. And of course none of the backroom dirty deals, payoffs and smokey room nonsense that was even more prevalent than now.
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 29, 2011 19:44:00 GMT -8
Here is my take on things. Everything in BC Ferries was old and worn out the BC gov't never put any money into major maintenance. There is still ships in the fleet that need replacing they are getting too old. I find it strange how I keep reading the same stuff over and over again, sometimes in unlikely places. In no less than three newspaper articles today I have read how BCFS launched seven new ships into the fleet. Actually it was five. Including the NorAd & Kuper in the new ship count is a bit much. I've also read yet again in those newspapers that the wash rooms are cleaner today than back then. Where do they get this stuff from? Even here, I see repeated yet again, the assertion that ships were not being maintained, and the fleet was not being rebuilt. I think if anything the reverse is true. Ships were being maintained better then than they are now. I have never seen any BC ferry looking as bad as the Burnaby was this past spring. Major upgrades to ships (commonly referred to nowadays as mid life upgrades or 'asset betterments') have been ongoing practically since day one. Remember the Sidney and Tsawwassen, almost brand new, being pulled out of service, one at a time to have the food services expanded - i.e the customer experience was 'enhanced'! As for renewal, in 2003 the fleet included at least five ships that were new or newish (Spirits, Cum-Cap & Skeena), eight if you included the fast cats. At the time there was a real need only to replace the aging Seven Sisters, and the QPR. A number of older vessels had had significant upgrades in the recent past at that time (such as the Saanich, Queen of the North, Chilliwack). It is fair to say, however, that the rate of renewal and upgrading was not keeping pace with the demand. Fast forward to 2011. We have some new ships, but does anyone believe that new ships would not have been built had BC Ferries remained as a crown corp? Furthermore, we have a rather pressing need now to replace the remaining B class, a large portion of the minor vessel fleet, and assorted others such as the Wack. I see virtually no progress on that front - not even designs to look at. I would like to see what is the average age in the fleet now and compare it with the average age in 2001. I expect that there is not much difference. BCFS has racked up a rather substantial level of debt acquiring the new vessels that they do have. This debt would be greater yet had not Uncle Stephen forgiven the duties owing on foreign constructed new-builds. The planned replacement of other aging vessels appears to be on indefinite hold due to the financial condition of BCFS. On balance I think it is a long stretch to say that we have a better BC Ferries today than we had ten years ago. One thing is for sure, our ferries certainly looked better back then!
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Sept 29, 2011 21:18:30 GMT -8
I agree with every one of Wett Coast's points. I'm fifty five years old and I've been enthusiastically riding ferries since I was a little kid, and the vast majority of my holidays and travel have been on the coast. Like all other ferry fans, I've always paid attention to the boats I ride. I don't remember a time, ever, where I generally started thinking, 'jeez, these boats are really being let go'... except, perhaps, with the Vs, under David Hahn's reign, and yes, the 'Burnaby. It seems to me that the mistake with the fastcats has been turned into a general narrative of incompetence for the whole pre-Hahn era, and the b.s. has been repeated by media types like Bill Good and others who are generally very friendly to the current political regime in Victoria.
It's largely a myth, but it's taken on a life of its own.
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Post by alaskanmohican on Sept 29, 2011 21:32:44 GMT -8
Just to inject a comment in here from the north. AMHS has watched this "great experiment" with great interest. Now of course there is no official stance on the whether or not BCF is currently a success or not, that's not the point. But there have been several studies and reports published over the past several years mainly about AMHS but who have looked at BCF to see if there are practices that could be adopted up here.
I am not going to get into the details, but what is commonly reported is that before the privatization of BCF, the fleet was not in good shape, lacked maintenance. Now this was frequently blamed on the government and it's lack of investment in the ships and not on how the crew maintained the ships. Typically what major work was done on the ferries were a response to things gone wrong and not preventative maintenance. Now the ships are better maintained.
Now I am no position to confirm or deny how acurate this view is, but this is typical of how BCF was viewed from the "outside." There was a report done by a third party from University of Alaska Fairbanks back in "08 which emphasized the above problems with BCF and noted that this situation had been improved. I should point out that one of the motivating factors for this report was that AMHS was just coming out of a similar situation with deferred maintenance that BCF was in. So there was an interest in how did BCF recover from it, hence the report.
What is interesting is that even though the report noted that the BCF fleet was in better shape, it was recommended that AMHS not be privatized like BCF. The report also indicated that BCF was quasi-private meaning that the government still had some control over the company which created some "issues." Ultimately the report called BCF a "limited success."
I should try and find this report to quote rather than doing it from memory. But I guess my point is that from an "outside" viewpoint BCF is viewed as in better shape now than it was before privatization, or at least that was the view around "08 and "09.
Just wanted to add that this is not necessarily my opinion, I do not know enough on the matter, but this is what has gone around at least up here.
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Post by Ferryman on Sept 30, 2011 14:41:46 GMT -8
Times Colonist Youtube Interview with David Hahn
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Post by gordon on Oct 1, 2011 9:14:30 GMT -8
David Hahn has done a good job modernizing the fleet with a mix of New Builds and nearly new vessels. I would suspect that his replacement will be a caretaker CEO from with in because we don't know what will happen in the next election(May 2013) very likely an NDP Government because I don't think B.C. has ever had a 4 term government{with the possible exception of WAC Bennett). The NDP would definitely return B.C. Ferries to the control of the Ministry of Transportation. Even without the high executive remuneration we may be stuck with high fares well into the future due to high oil prices. One tning BCF could do is remove the may fuel surcharge seeing that oil prices have dropped around $15\ barrel in the last month or so.
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Post by kevins on Oct 5, 2011 18:49:21 GMT -8
Who is going to replace Mr. Hahn? Someone from the outside to start a new page and direction or someone from within the company? If it is someone from within, are they just a caretaker? DH didn't leave much for his replacement to do, cancelled the long term bonus program, what ever that was? Asking for less sailings. Put a hiring (sort of) and wage freeze in place. Union will have a hard time negotiating a pay raise out of a wage freeze.
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mrdot
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Post by mrdot on Oct 5, 2011 20:30:52 GMT -8
:)I've got my thinking cap on and trying hard to think of the magician {was it Raveen or something like that} that might be able to come up with a majic carpet ride, it's going to take something like that for Crusty, or who ever else is mandated to fix the once proud dogwood fleet! We won't get the majic fix, from FSG fatherland machenery depot, I note that due to a real howler on the east coast, all the new wonderships out there are all laid up under cover, when I see the old marine atlantic ships managed to sail on in the inclement stuff! It seems that both coasts have some new age troubles! :)mrdot. reporting from the best place on earth, apologies to everyone else who might think they reside in the best place!
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 5, 2011 21:25:27 GMT -8
:)I've got my thinking cap on and trying hard to think of the magician {was it Raveen or something like that} that might be able to come up with a majic carpet ride, it's going to take something like that for Crusty, or who ever else is mandated to fix the once proud dogwood fleet! We won't get the majic fix, from FSG fatherland machenery depot, I note that due to a real howler on the east coast, all the new wonderships out there are all laid up under cover, when I see the old marine atlantic ships managed to sail on in the inclement stuff! It seems that both coasts have some new age troubles! :)mrdot. reporting from the best place on earth, apologies to everyone else who might think they reside in the best place! I would wager that a lot of sailing cancellations these days are due to more stringent safety and operational considerations, and not necessarily due to inferior vessels. David Hahn will probably be replaced by some grey bureaucratic type, who will keep his or her head down and not be so willing to expound on public/private issues, and not be so accommodating to the media in general. Things will be less interesting, and less controversial, at least regarding the head cheese. Best wishes to Mr Hahn, despite everything.
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KE7JFF
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Post by KE7JFF on Oct 6, 2011 16:52:45 GMT -8
I should clarify my earlier statement. I personally have an issue with these "career CEOs" who go to grad school and get their MBA, but then spend 20-30 years just hopping around from company without actually focusing on an particular industry. The example I use of this is the current CEO situation at HP.
I want to see a CEO who is less MBA and more admiral if that makes sense. While I would like to see someone within BC be promoted up, anyone in the marine transportation industry would work. Though, it would be interesting to see how a CEO from a cruise line would run things at BC Ferries.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Oct 6, 2011 20:00:04 GMT -8
...Though, it would be interesting to see how a CEO from a cruise line would run things at BC Ferries. No, it wouldn't. Such a background would be completely irrelevant to a system where most routes serve as essential connections for small communities with the outside world. BC Ferries needs someone who can co-ordinate operational expenses with the needs of a 'lifeline' transportation system, not someone who can hire the best lobster bisque chefs.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 13, 2011 7:55:50 GMT -8
...Though, it would be interesting to see how a CEO from a cruise line would run things at BC Ferries. No, it wouldn't. Such a background would be completely irrelevant to a system where most routes serve as essential connections for small communities with the outside world. BC Ferries needs someone who can co-ordinate operational expenses with the needs of a 'lifeline' transportation system, not someone who can hire the best lobster bisque chefs. But I like lobster bisque... ...maybe we should consider using someone with extensive truck haul management experience .
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 31, 2011 3:13:05 GMT -8
That David Hann thinks and states that the morale of the fleet has never been higher during his time, is sheer BS. He must have his head shoved up his lower $400,000 a years' minions ass. I have never seen the morale as low it is now, It did take a huge spike when Hann announced his (tounge in cheek) retirement. So what are they going to do now? Hire a ceo at less than the top 5 current usless jerks, ( Buy the way, do you the public think that if the current management were to go on vacation,say for a month or more, that the ships would stop? NO. I guess not. Those ships would sail regardless whose in so called command. The point I'm making is that the ships will sail without the high level, over paid, usless management. Those of us who actually ARE B.C ferries, care. We don't want to see you late, we don't want to see you distressed,, because your stress is ours, we recieve your anger, directed at use because we are the first you contact. Yes we understand that, but what we don't understand is why you direct your anger at us and not those who are really at the trough. For a chuckle, an apt description of such a situation popped into my head the other day. "Can't see the end of his nose for the view of his own butt." Well, the words in the thought may have been a little harsher, but the sentiment was the same. This, I believe, will be my new catch phrase for people who are so believing of their own BS (bovine scat XD), they can't see beyond it...
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 31, 2011 6:04:42 GMT -8
I'm a 2/0 for BC ferries, have been a member for 25+ years. Member of what ? (Union, Guild, etc) ps: - Thanks for prompting me to add a couple more words to our list of censored words here. Please take another read of the forum guideliness that you saw when you registered here.
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