Under the cover of holiday cheer comes this announcement from our efficient friends at BC Health Inc.: according to an internal email sent on December 16, the Maximus Inc. subsidiary has hired a(nother) new chief executive officer. Astute Public Eye readers may remember the company's first head honcho Richard Mason resigned in August after BC Health was repeatedly fined by the government for failing to meet performance targets for handling phone calls and processing Medical Services Plan and PharmaCare applications. Mr. Mason, who was on the job for just four months, was replaced back on an acting basis by Maximus's managing director of Canadian operation Brian Pollick. And now Mr. Polick is stepping aside to make way for Duff Lang. The following is a complete copy of that email which was leaked to Public Eye.

From: Duff Lang
Sent: December 16, 2005 2:04 PM
Subject: Greetings

Hello everyone,

First I want to thank Brian for his warm welcome and also for the leadership he has provided since the inception of this program.

I have had the opportunity to meet only a handful of people so far but for all of you, please accept my congratulations on the exceptional service level results you have achieved. The progress made since my initial visit in early October is truly amazing and I know the success has come as a result of your hard work and dedication.

I am excited to join this team and dedicated to the success of this business in support of the Ministry and their service to the citizens of British Columbia.

Early in January I will have the opportunity to speak with all of you in group meetings and prior to that I will attempt to meet as many of you as possible for at least a brief hello.

Many of you are planning well deserved vacations at this time of year and I wish you and your families a very happy holiday season.

Regards,

Duff Lang