Two men died yesterday after separate Taser incidents. Donald Clark died in an Asheville, North Carolina hospital after being Tasered Saturday, while closer to home, the death of an unidentified man at the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been grabbing headlines. These latest deaths bring the number of people who have died in North America after being shocked with the Taser’s 50,000 volt output to at least 284. (By the way, a number of domestic animals, including a loose cow in Spokane, Washington, have also died after being shocked with the Taser, raising further skepticism about the police and manufacturer’s claims that the electrical output of these weapons is harmless.)

Although 16 people have died in Canada since April of 2003, there are still no independent safety testing protocols or standards in this country. Unlike hair dryers, toasters, electric fences or cattle prods, Tasers are not subject to any testing before being sold.

How were Tasers introduced into Canada without any public debate? The answer lies in the aggressive marketing tactics and dubious claims of the manufacturer, Scottsdale, Arizona public company Taser International Inc. Taser International enlisted police officers to help promote the “Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle”, giving some of them stock options and cash payments for their efforts. Victoria, BC police officer Darren Laur, who wrote some early Taser endorsements, is one such police officer. Another police source has advised me that many police officers benefited from promoting the weapon, raising at least the spectre of a possible conflict of interest.

No wonder then, that the police are such advocates of this “less than lethal” device that inflicts excruciating pain and disables its victims. They will never say a negative word about the weapon, even as the death toll inevitably rises. That’s why independent and rigorous safety testing is needed…now.

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The Canadian deaths:

1. April 19, 2003: Terrance Hanna, 51, Burnaby, BC (RCMP)

2. July 22, 2003: Clay Willey, 33, Prince George, BC (RCMP)

3. Sept. 28, 2003: Clark Whitehouse, 34, Whitehorse, Yukon (RCMP)

4. March 23, 2004: Perry Ronald, 28, Edmonton, Alta.

5. May 1, 2004: Roman Andreichikov, 25, Vancouver, BC

6. May 13, 2004: Peter Lamonday, 38, London, Ont.

7. June 23, 2004: Robert Bagnell, 44, Vancouver, BC

8. July 17, 2004: Jerry Knight, 29, Mississauga, Ont.

9. August 8, 2004: Samuel Truscott, 43, Kingston, Ont.

10. May 5, 2005: Kevin Geldart, 34, Moncton, NB (RCMP)

11. June 30, 2005: Gurmeet Sandhu, 41, Surrey, BC (RCMP)

12. July 1, 2005: James Foldi, 39, Beamsville, Ont.

13. July 15, 2005: Paul Saulnier, 42, Digby, Nova Scotia (RCMP)

14. December 24, 2005: Alesandro Fiacco, 33, Edmonton, Alta.

15. August 30, 2006: Jason Doan, 28, Red Deer, Alta. (RCMP)

16. October 14, 2007: Unidentified male, Richmond, BC (RCMP)

Update: The dead man has been identified as Robert Dziekanski, 40, a new immigrant from Poland. He had no criminal record and had no drugs or alcohol in his system. A passerby took a video of the incident and gave it to RCMP investigators who told him they would return it the next day. The investigators have now refused to return the videotape.

Two more people have died after being Tasered-Donald Clark of Asheville, N.C. on October 14th and Quillem Registre of Montreal, Quebec on October 17th-bringing the total number of fatalities to 285.

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An unidentified man died after he was Tasered by RCMP at the Vancouver International Airport early this morning. He is at least the 283rd person to die in North America after being shocked with the Taser’s 50,000 volt electrical output. Sixteen of those deaths have occurred in Canada since 2003, and the latest is the sixth BC fatality. The RCMP has been involved in eight of the Canadian deaths.

The police will investigate this incident themselves and clear the Taser of any responsibility, perhaps blaming the unfortunate man’s death on “excited delirium”, which is not a recognised medical condition.

The Taser was quietly introduced into Canada in 2000, without any public debate or prior independent safety testing. Although electric fences and cattle prods must undergo rigorous tests before being sold, the Taser is subject to no such control.

The list of Canadian fatalities:

1. April 19, 2003: Terrance Hanna, 51, Burnaby, BC (RCMP)

2. July 22, 2003: Clay Willey, 33, Prince George, BC (RCMP)

3. Sept. 28, 2003: Clark Whitehouse, 34, Whitehorse, Yukon (RCMP)

4. March 23, 2004: Perry Ronald, 28, Edmonton, Alta.

5. May 1, 2004: Roman Andreichikov, 25, Vancouver, BC

6. May 13, 2004: Peter Lamonday, 38, London, Ont.

7. June 23, 2004: Robert Bagnell, 44, Vancouver, BC

8. July 17, 2004: Jerry Knight, 29, Mississauga, Ont.

9. August 8, 2004: Samuel Truscott, 43, Kingston, Ont.

10. May 5, 2005: Kevin Geldart, 34, Moncton, NB (RCMP)

11. June 30, 2005: Gurmeet Sandhu, 41, Surrey, BC (RCMP)

12. July 1, 2005: James Foldi, 39, Beamsville, Ont.

13. July 15, 2005: Paul Saulnier, 42, Digby, Nova Scotia (RCMP)

14. December 24, 2005: Alesandro Fiacco, 33, Edmonton, Alta.

15. August 30, 2006: Jason Doan, 28, Red Deer, Alta. (RCMP)

16. October 14, 2007: Robert Dziekanski, 40, Richmond, BC (RCMP)

17. October 17, 2007: Quillem Registre, 39, Montreal, Quebec

Canada Line (RAV) construction is well under way in Vancouver, as evidenced by massive open trenches, noise, dust and traffic congestion. Businesses along Cambie Street are bearing the brunt of the disruption with no relief in sight from the governments that have committed billions of tax dollars to the project.

Although provincial Minister of Finance Carole Taylor has sympathized with the businesses’ plight, no meaningful aid has been forthcoming. One objection, that compensation would set a dangerous precedent, does not withstand scrutiny. Governments routinely compensate businesses that lose revenues as a result of public endeavours. For example, the federal government compensated those businesses that lost customers due to the G8 summit in Kananaskis and the more recent summit in Montebello. Whistler Mountain will be compensated handsomely for making its property available for the 2010 Olympic Games. More to the point, the Musqueam Band will be compensated an undisclosed amount for lost fishing opportunities created by the erection of Canada Line abutments in the Fraser River.

Another objection may be the cost of a compensation package. Again, that can’t have any merit. The cost of the Canada Line project has crept from $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion to $1.72 billion to the most recently reported figure of $1.9 billion (2003 dollars), which is in excess of $2.1 billion. Whatever amount is needed to compensate the small businesses that have gone under or are struggling to survive, the amount is modest in comparison to the public funds being spent.

The British Columbia government, a major funding partner in this P3 mega-project, portrays itself as business-friendly. The businesses along Cambie Street, at least those that are still there, have a hard time swallowing that proposition and one of them, Hazel & Co., has launched a legal action for damages based on misrepresentations, nuisance, trespass and injurious affection. More businesses may have no choice but to follow suit…

Today, September 12th, is the 30th anniversary of the death of Stephen Biko.

May he rest in peace, and may his struggle never be forgotten.

Thomas Campbell, 50, of Baltimore has become at least the 275th North American to die after being shocked by law enforcement officers’ Tasers. The following appeared in the Baltimore Sun on August 22, 2007:

“Baltimore police have released the identity of a suspect who died after he was incapacitated with a Taser during an incident in West Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood early Saturday morning.

Police said Thomas Campbell, 50, of the 1000 block of McAleer Court was pronounced dead at Bon Secours Hospital shortly after he was subdued with a Taser, a device that delivers a 50,000-volt shock.

Officers apprehended Campbell after receiving a report that a man was running amok in the 1000 block of N. Payson St.

Police say they have used Tasers 14 times this year, and Campbell is the third fatality.”