Ceremony underway in Gander, N.L., marking 9/11 attacks 25 years ago

GANDER — The flags of Canada, the United States and Newfoundland were carried into an arena in central Newfoundland on Friday to mark the start of a ceremony commemorating those killed in terrorist attacks in the United States 25 years ago.

Thirty-eight planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers were grounded in Gander, N.L. after hijackers took command of four aircraft and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Pennsylvania.

Military, first responders and the some of the stranded passengers were among the thousands of people who gathered for the ceremony to mark the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.

People in Gander dropped everything to fill churches and community halls with cots, food and clothing, and they cared for the passengers for days.

The town became a symbol of the kindness shown across Canada as planes were forced to land in airports across the country.

Percy Farwell, the mayor of Gander, told the crowd that the day is about remembering those who died and suffered, but also about the humanity that emerged 25 years ago.

“In Gander in 2001, we were witness to a time when humanity was thrown into a pile in a time of great distress and turmoil,” he said. “And we were forced to distil our relationships with others down to what really matters: supporting, caring for, loving each other, that we may all endure the challenges.”

Jean Chrétien, who was the prime minister of Canada on 9/11, and Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour were among the dignitaries at the event. United States Ambassador Pete Hoekstra was also expected to address the crowd.

Hoekstra’s visit comes at a painful time for Canada and the United States’ relationship.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods last month, prompting Canada to retaliate with levies on American products.

Beverley Bass was piloting an American Airlines plane from Paris to Dallas when she got word that the towers had been hit. She told The Canadian Press that she was expecting to be diverted to Toronto or Montreal, and was surprised to be instructed instead to land at the Gander airport, where every spare space was filled with planes and vehicles.

“I looked out both sides of the windows of the cockpit and there were cars everywhere. I said to the crew ‘I think everybody from Newfoundland is here,'” she said in Gander.

Bass said she’ll never forget the kindness of the people of Gander, who provided three meals a day, parties for children and comfort to the passengers and crew.

“A lot of people did not want to leave on Sept. 15,” she said. “They were so fearful of what they were going back to in our country, which was complete devastation, but we had spent five days living in the most beautiful community in the world.”

In Banff, Alta., Prime Minister Mark Carney also paid tribute to the victims of 9/11, saying Canadians stand with their American neighbours in mourning, remembrance, and solidarity.

“This dark moment also brought forth some of our best nature, firefighters climbing the stairs to rescue those in burning buildings, rescue workers working for weeks to bring closure,” Carney said. “I think the lesson of these events is that the response to darkness is to reach out, is to support, to stand in solidarity, as Canadians did, with our neighbours.”

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said in a video that was filmed at the 9/11 memorial in New York City that he remembers the generous families of Gander and other Canadians who welcomed passengers from diverted flights.

Raphael Fusco, who was 17 years old on 9/11, had been flying from Milan to Newark, N.J. with his father when their plane was forced to land in Gander. They were taken by bus to Lewisport, N.L. where they slept on pews in a church for three nights.

Fusco, a musician, says he feels emotional about the anniversary because of how Canadians and Newfoundlanders invited the passengers into their homes and “gave us the clothes off their back.”

“So while the rest of the world was seeing these horrific images, we saw something very different,” he said Friday in Gander. “We saw extraordinary kindness, and to this day, 25 years later I bring that image of altruism, of kindness, warmth, generosity, of treating strangers like family with me everywhere I go.”

There was also a commemoration held in Ottawa attended by about 100 invited guests, including representatives from the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency and other first responders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.