A man’s $3,200 claim against the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA) involving cash that allegedly went missing from a tote bag has been dismissed.

In a decision published Oct. 29, the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) says the man reported accidentally leaving his tote bag on a luggage cart outside of Vancouver International Airport before leaving the area.

According to the man, he returned the next day and discovered the cash missing from a wallet inside the bag.

In the decision, tribunal member Kristin Gardner says VAA’s evidence does not support the claim that the money was stolen.

“VAA provided video security footage showing the applicant leaving a tote bag in a luggage cart outside the airport after loading his other bags into the trunk of a car and driving away,” Gardner wrote.

“The footage shows several individuals in high-visibility vests, who VAA says are employees of third party independent security contractors, notice the forgotten tote bag, inspect its contents, and ultimately transfer it to a customer service counter inside the airport.”

The decision says the security footage is continuous and does not show anyone taking anything from the tote between the time it was left on the cart to when it was brought to the customer service counter. Personnel report finding passports, credit cards, and a laptop in the bag, which the video supports, Gardner says.

She also writes that the man didn’t have any evidence to back up his claims, other than his own documents outlining his description of what happened.

In his claim, the man says he paid $800 for international internet charges in his communications with the airport and the CRT relating to this issue.

“He provided no supporting evidence of these alleged expenses,” the decision says.

“I dismiss his claim for dispute-related expenses on that basis.”

The tribunal says the man’s claims have been dismissed.