Vancouver Airport to Spend 1.4 Million in Improvements in Response to Taser Death

Nearly 8 weeks after the taser related death of Polish immigrant, Robert Dziedansk at Vancouver International Airport's arrival lounge, the airport has issued a report outlining proposed improvements for its international passengers.

cbcnews.ca reports:

Officials at Vancouver International Airport have announced how they will spend $1.4 million a year to improve service for international visitors.

The changes include:

• Hiring new public safety officers skilled in negotiations and non-physical intervention
• 4-hour staffing of the customer care kiosks in the international arrivals area and inside the customs hall
• Terminal-wide access to translation services
• Emergency medical responders stationed in the airport 24 hours a day
• Improved multilingual signage with pictograms and translations in as many as 20 languages
• Hourly walk-through of the customs hall by airport staff and 24-hour public safety patrols
• Improved communication from inside the secure area of the customs hall to the public arrivals lounge for both staff and the public
• A new arrivals video that will be shown on all incoming international flights
• Improved customer care training for all airport staff

The airport’s report also features a “complete timeline of Dziekanski's hours at the airport” including reports that he was spotted sweating profusely upon his arrival at the airport.

The Commons Public Safety Committee inquiry into Dziekanski's death is continuing.

- Annie Noa Kenet, Toronto

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