Inquiry into Vancouver airport Taser death put off 2nd time

The second stage of public inquiry into how and why a man died after being shocked by a stun gun at the Vancouver airport has been postponed for a second time.

Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died in October 2007 when four RCMP officers attempted to subdue the distraught man at Vancouver's International Airport.

Retired B.C. Appeal Court justice Thomas Braidwood was appointed in February by B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal to lead the two-stage commission of inquiry into the death.

The first stage that took place last May was a study into the use, safety and effectiveness of conducted energy weapons in B.C. by police forces other than the RCMP. The report is currently being written.

But the second phase, which was to investigate the specific circumstances at the airport the night Dziekanski died, has already been delayed once while Crown prosecutors decide whether to lay criminal charges against any of the police involved. 

But a year after Dziekanski's death, the Crown is still awaiting expert reports before making any decisions about possible charges.

On Monday the commission's counsel Art Vertlieb said that until the Crown makes that decision, the RCMP won't give him access to their files.

"That means we don't know which witnesses RCMP investigators have interviewed and whether they are people who may be able to help us with our work," said Mr. Vertlieb.

The inquiry is now scheduled to start Jan. 19 and run for six weeks.

Braidwood said he was disappointed that the hearing could not proceed as scheduled in November, adding that the public deserves to have answers about what occurred at the airport.