Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone has issued the following statement on the appointment of Barry Penner, QC as the new ICBC board chair, beginning March 31, 2016:

“Today, I am pleased to appoint Barry Penner as the new chair for ICBC’s board of directors.

“Mr. Penner’s deep commitment to public and community service led him to accept the government's request that he take on this challenging position. His extensive experience with government and the private sector will make him an excellent fit for this important role.

“Of course, he is best known for his previous role as B.C.’s longest-serving Minister of Environment. He also held the important roles of Attorney General and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation and Deputy House Leader.

“Following his career in politics, Mr. Penner continued his legal career, working with stakeholders throughout the province to resolve challenging natural resource and environmental issues. Mr. Penner is currently senior counsel and strategic advisor for Penner Pacific Advisory Services.

“I want to congratulate Mr. Penner on this appointment. I have every confidence that Mr. Penner will do an excellent job serving ICBC and the citizens of B.C.

“I also want to take this time to sincerely thank Ronald Olynyk, who has served as the interim chair since Dec. 31, 2015, and will continue to serve in this role until Mr. Penner’s start date of March 31, 2016.

“The B.C. government will continue to work with ICBC to identify and implement measures that will mitigate the causes of rate increases, to help ensure that ICBC insurance rates remain as low and as affordable as possible.”