VANCOUVER, B.C. – A top official at Vancouver’s airport says the facility has implemented numerous changes since the death of Robert Dziekanski, in an effort to restore a “human touch” to the way it deals with passengers.
Don Ehrenholz, the vice-president of operations, participated in an internal review of airport policies in the months after Dziekanski was stunned with an RCMP Taser and died in the international terminal in October 2007.
The report found that all staff acted properly and in accordance with their training, but it still made more than two dozens recommendations.
The changes have long been public, including better access to translation services, improved signage in multiple languages and round-the-clock medical staff in the terminal building.
Ehrenholz says services such as a translation telephone line were already available at the time of Dziekanski’s death, but airport staff weren’t all aware of them or how to use them.
He says the airport has served millions of passengers without incident, but special cases such as Dziekanski’s require more of a “human touch” to ensure people in distress receive the help they need.
