BC Ferries CEO earned $1 million last year

The top five executives at BC Ferries earned a combined total of more than $3 million last year, according to a disclosure statement released by the company Wednesday.

President and CEO David Hahn earned just over $1 million, including salary, pension contributions and performance-based incentives. Nearly half of Hahn's total compensation, $494,923, was salary.

The four other top BC Ferries executives were paid between $485,000 and $562,000 each, including wages, pensions and incentives.

Dan Miller, a member of the BC Ferries board of directors and a former NDP B.C. premier, said the compensation is in line with other Canadian companies.

Miller said that since Hahn and his team took the helm in 2003, ferry service in B.C. has become exponentially better, with new ships operating between revitalized terminals.

B.C. NDP ferries critic Gary Coons disagrees, saying the executive salaries are too high and the last few years of ferry service are a dismal failure.

"Fares have skyrocketted, tourism is on a downturn because of rising fares," Coons said.

Hahn and his team would have made more, but their financial targets were not met, according to the disclosure statement.