Gander, Newfoundland marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with thousands expected to attend commemorations honoring the victims and the town's extraordinary welcome to over 6,600 stranded passengers. The event will feature speeches from Governor-General Louise Arbour, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Gander became a symbol of generosity after housing and feeding the stranded travelers in 2001, inspiring the musical "Come From Away" and forging long-lasting relationships between residents and travelers. The town's response is still remembered today through reunions between original travelers and their hosts.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 8, 2024, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed, an event that has become a significant marker for young conservatives in America, akin to September 11, 2001 and the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. The day of his death is now referred to by some as 9/10, symbolizing its impact on political activism among students. Meanwhile, the small Canadian town of Gander played a pivotal role during the September 11 attacks when U.S. airspace was closed, leading to 38 international flights landing there, doubling the population overnight and necessitating an impromptu humanitarian effort by locals to aid around 7,000 stranded passengers and crew members for several days. This act of kindness inspired the Broadway musical "Come From Away," which highlights Gander's generosity and humanity in times of crisis.
Written for “9/11 Anniversary Reflections” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 167 other(s) covering the same event.
Gander marks 25 years since 9/11 and the friendships forged in its aftermath.
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Gander → mark → aftermath
Gander remembers 9/11
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, thousands are expected in Gander, Nfld., to commemorate the victims and remember the extraordinary welcome the town gave to more than 6,600 stranded passengers and crew.
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town → remember → passengers
When U.S. airspace closed in 2001, 38 passenger planes were diverted to the small Newfoundland community.
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planes → close → community
Many of the travellers have returned to reconnect with the residents who housed and fed them.
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who → return → them
Also there is retired air-traffic controller Patrick Woodford and former American Airlines captain Beverley Bass, whose flight he helped guide into Gander that day.
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he → be → Gander
Their chance encounter became a life-long friendship.
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encounter → become → ?
The legacy: Gander’s response became an enduring symbol of generosity in the aftermath of the attacks, inspiring the musical Come From Away and forging relationships, which have lasted for decades, between residents and the ones they called their “plane people.”
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they → become → residents
Governor-General Louise Arbour, former prime minister Jean Chrétien and U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra are among those scheduled to speak at an anniversary commemoration today.
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Arbour → schedule → commemoration
Keep reading:
- How 9/11 changed Canada’s approach to national security
- With hundreds of planes in the air on 9/11, Canada had minutes to respond
- In photos: Ground Zero in Year 25
- Canadian journalists reflect on the triumphs, regrets and lessons learned covering 9/11
Canada and Ukraine deepen ties
Canada and Ukraine have signed a 100-year partnership covering defence, energy, technology and trade, as Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Calgary.
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Carney → keep → Calgary
Canada plans to deepen joint defence production, send one-third of drones purchased through its new national marketplace to Ukraine, deliver $350-million in air-defence equipment and provide more than $430-million in loan guarantees to help Ukraine secure gas for winter.
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Ukraine → plan → winter
The cost of having kids
Higher income families are increasingly more likely to have children than lower-income families, according to new Statistics Canada data suggesting that the cost of parenthood is shaping who can afford to start a family.
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who → have → family
By the numbers: In 2023, women aged 22 to 39 in the highest-income families were about 2.5 times more likely to have a child than those in the lowest-income families - 14.1 per cent compared with 5.6 per cent.
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women → age → cent
The gap has widened since 2017, when the highest-income group was 2.1 times more likely to have a child.
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group → widen → child
Céline Dion fever sweeps Paris
Céline Dion is drawing crowds across Paris ahead of her long-awaited return to the stage.
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Dion → sweep → stage
Hundreds of fans have been gathering every day outside her hotel, where the Canadian star has stopped to chat, sing, dance and take selfies ahead of a month-long residency that begins Saturday.
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that → gather → residency
The excitement: Nearly 500,000 tickets for the first leg sold out in less than an hour, while Paris is getting in on the celebration with mass karaoke events and a Céline pop-up shop.
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Paris → sell → events
Train bookings to the French capital have also surged as fans arrive from across Europe.
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fans → surge → Europe
The Take
Investing in a self-sustaining publicly owned, but privately operated, high-speed rail network could save Canadian taxpayers money.
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Investing → invest → money
Ottawa could eventually recoup its capital costs by selling part of the line to investors, such as pension funds.
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Ottawa → recoup → funds
— Konrad Yakabuski, columnist
Unlike Via, high-speed rail would be a money saver, not a sinkhole, writes Konrad Yakabuski.
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Yakabuski → write → Via
At least 26 students were killed after a fire swept through two adjoining schools in Bukavu in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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fire → kill → Congo
Officials said the blaze began at a nearby house before spreading to the schools, where some students were trapped and others jumped from windows to escape.
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others → say → windows
What else we’re following
At home:
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we → follow → home
Parliament and the Supreme Court are weighing a major shift on trial delays that could end the automatic stays derailing roughly 10,000 criminal cases a year.
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that → weigh → cases
As Russia heads into its first parliamentary election since the full-scale war with Ukraine began, drone strikes and mobilization fears are fuelling public anxiety.
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strikes → head → anxiety
In Ontario: The Ontario Science Centre has laid off 30 workers, including its entire science department, as part of a restructuring ahead of its planned $1-billion replacement at Ontario Place.
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Centre → lay → Place
In school: Canadian teachers are putting their own stamp on the classroom, from retro rec rooms to themed spaces designed to make students feel at home.
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students → put → home
In style: Red-carpet dressing has become big business, with fashion houses, stylists and stars chasing viral moments as much as glamour.
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houses → become → glamour
In sports: Sixteen former University of Michigan players are suing the school alleging they endured sexual hazing and abuse by teammates between 1984 and 2001 and that coaches knew but failed to intervene.
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coaches → sue → 1984
