The new NDP government continues to put its stamp on government and government agencies in the province.
There are three new faces on the Insurance Corporation of B.C. board of directors, replacing three former directors whose appointments have been withdrawn.
Appointed are Jeremy Bell, Bonnie Pearson, and Doug Allen, effective immediately. Bell, Pearson and Allen will add years of experience in investment consulting, advocacy and negotiations, and executive leadership to the board’s existing talents, according to a government press release.
Attorney General and Minister responsible for ICBC David Eby extended his thanks to Catherine Boivie, William Davidson and Ronald Olynyk, whose appointments to the board are withdrawn.
According to the press release, “the ICBC board’s primary responsibility is to foster the corporation’s success while protecting the best interests of policyholders, stakeholders, communities and public at large. It oversees the conduct of business of the corporation and provides direction to management, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations. As part of its mandate, the board balances ICBC’s commercial interests with the public policy mandate assigned to it by the B.C. government.”
The move comes a month after Eby announced he was going to take a ‘hard look’ at the provincial insurer.
He requested that ICBC make public a 203-page report by the consulting firm Ernst & Young into financial problems at the insurance corporation. Subsequent to the minister’s request, ICBC released the full report in July, which is available online: www.icbc.com
David Eby
“This report makes it clear that ICBC has been in crisis for years, something which the former Liberal government largely ignored,” Eby said in July. “Rather than addressing the serious issues facing the corporation, the BC Liberals used insurance fees as a rapidly growing hidden tax. Drivers have been paying the price.”
The new NDP government will consider recommendations made in the report that could reduce accidents, injuries, deaths and claim costs. Recent trends show the accident rate in B.C. is increasing with a 23 per cent increase in crashes between 2013 and 2016.
