Vancouver airport tribunal dismisses $3,200 claim over cash missing from bag left on cart

A tribunal has dismissed a man's $3,200 claim against the Vancouver Airport Authority over cash he said went missing from a tote bag left on a luggage cart outside Vancouver International Airport.

In a decision published Oct. 29, the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal said the man reported accidentally leaving the bag on the cart before leaving the area, and that he returned the next day to find cash missing from a wallet inside it.

The airport authority relied on security video. The footage shows people in high-visibility vests, which the authority described as employees of third-party security contractors, noticing the tote, inspecting its contents and taking it to a customer service counter inside the airport. The footage is continuous and shows no one taking anything from the bag between the cart and the counter. Personnel reported finding passports, credit cards and a laptop in the bag, and the video supports that account.

The tribunal found the airport authority's evidence did not support the claim that money was stolen. The man's case rested on his own documents. He also claimed $800 in international internet charges, but provided no supporting evidence, and the tribunal dismissed that part of the claim as well.