Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone released the following statement today, following BC Ferries’ Board of Directors announcement of Mark Collins as the corporation’s new president and CEO:

“I congratulate Mark Collins on his appointment as president and CEO of BC Ferries, effective April 1. At the same time, I also thank outgoing president and CEO Mike Corrigan for his dedication and hard work.

“Mark takes over an organization that has made significant progress over the last four years, and I know that in his current role as vice-president of strategic planning & community engagement, Mark has had a tremendous influence on that success.

“With B.C.’s first natural gas-fuelled ferries coming into service as part of an aggressive fleet renewal plan, and vehicle traffic up around 4% so far this year thanks in part to a robust tourism industry, this is an exciting time to be taking over one of the largest coastal ferry services in the world.

“We’ve been working closely with BC Ferries these last four years to ensure our coastal ferry service is affordable, efficient, and sustainable for future generations. I look forward to continuing that work with Mark in his new role as the head of BC Ferries.”