I don't see any support for those two pieces of hearsay I just mentioned. But there is an detailed account of the developing problem here
.

"Border officers knew Robert Dziekanski didn't speak English soon after he arrived at Vancouver's airport and would have had access to a translator had they decided to call one, a public inquiry heard Tuesday. . . The Canadian Border Services Agency and the airport faced heavy criticism after Mr. Dziekanski's death in October of 2007, specifically for not calling a translator to help the man. . . .

Monica Kullar, one of the first border officers to deal with Mr. Dziekanski in Vancouver, told the inquiry that he was sweating and speaking rapidly in Polish as he tried to fill out a form for customs.

Ms. Kullar said Mr. Dziekanski calmed down and was courteous and non-threatening as he finished filling out the document and moved on.

She marked off a section on his form that indicated he had a language barrier, which would have been seen by other officers who encountered him in the hours before his death. . . . "

Maybe it was a tragic convergence of errors but it looks more likely that callous indifference was the principal cause.