Ten years ago this Sunday, a nightmare of terror-driven destruction was unleashed on the U.S. The impact of what we’ve come to call “9\/11” was undoubtedly felt around the world.<\/p>\n
At least twenty-four Canadians died<\/a> in the attacks. NAV Canada<\/a> helped with the tremendous upheaval in North American air traffic that day. 239 planes carrying thousands of passengers were diverted to Canadian cities<\/a> to clear the skies. Canada did not participate in the Iraq war, but went early to Afghanistan and did some heavy lifting there. So, understandably, the upcoming anniversary of 9\/11 is being observed across Canada in many ways.<\/p>\n The US ambassador to Canada, David Jacboson, will be in Gander, Newfoundland on Sunday to thank residents for their amazing compassion. Halifax actually took in the most diverted flights (47). Vancouver received the most diverted passengers (8,500). But Gander<\/a> is a small, remote town of about 10,000 people. Somehow, the area managed to absorb 38 planes and care for 6,600 passengers – for days – until air travel could resume once more.<\/p>\n Back in Ottawa, the US embassy<\/a> has opened an outdoor photo exhibit to commemorate the public response to 9\/11<\/a> Ambassador Jacobson reflects on that here.<\/a><\/p>\n Like their U.S. counterparts, many Canadian news outlets are featuring extensive (exhaustive?) special coverage, including these interviews<\/a> with people from different walks of life who were affected by the events of that day. (Click for various 9\/11 coverage from the Ottawa Citizen<\/a>, the CBC<\/a>, CTV<\/a>, Global<\/a>, the National Post<\/a>, the Globe and Mail<\/a> and Gander’s The Beacon.<\/a> )<\/p>\n