Come from aways book Gander, N.L., solid for 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

The Canadian and United States flags were lowered to half mast at a commemorative ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the U.S., in Gander, N.L., on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002. Gander was one of several Canadian communities that welcomed thousands of air travellers stranded when U.S. airspace was closed. (CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Andrew Vaughan)

GANDER — U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra will be among the dignitaries heading to central Newfoundland this month to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The community of Gander has held a commemoration event every year since hosting thousands of stranded travellers after officials closed U.S. airspace and ground dozens of planes, said mayor Percy Farwell.

He said the event is about commemorating the nearly 3,000 people who were killed when hijackers slammed planes into the World Trade Center in New York and crashed into The Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

“We also acknowledge the connection that transpired with our little neck of the woods here and how meaningful that turned out to be,” Farwell said Tuesday.

“(We were) responding to people that were in distress and needed a lot of life’s necessities like food and shelter. Mostly they needed love and compassion because it was a very distressing time.”

The town of about 9,500 people became forever linked to the 9/11 attacks when its airport took in 38 passenger planes carrying more than 6,500 travellers. The people of Gander rallied around what they called the “plane people,” converting schools and church halls into shelters and taking many travellers into their own homes while providing food, hot showers and more. The outpouring of support was recounted in the hit stage musical “Come From Away.”

Cory Abbott, marketing manager for Steele Hotels, which operates four properties in Gander, says the town is pretty much booked solid for the commemoration.

“We’ve been blocked-in there for a fair bit,” Abbott said in an interview Tuesday. “We did have some (rooms) available … but it’s really filled in, in the last month or so.”

Dignitaries expected at the commemoration include Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour, former prime minister Jean Chretien, Premier Tony Wakeham, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson and Hoekstra.

Hoekstra has caused controversy by criticizing the “elbows up” campaign against U.S. tariffs and by expressing irritation with Canadians’ response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about making the country the 51st state. Tens of thousands of Canadians have signed a petition asking the federal government to kick Hoekstra out of the country and request his removal as ambassador.

In a statement, Hoekstra said the 9/11 attacks left a lasting mark on him and the United States, with the people of Newfoundland showing what community really means during a dark time.

“On this 25th anniversary, I am returning to say a heartfelt thank you not just on behalf of those who were stranded, but for an entire nation that remains moved by Gander’s generosity. I look forward to meeting many of those who opened their hearts and homes and honouring the enduring bond built that week,” the ambassador said.

Farwell said there’s no question that it’s a delicate time in the Canada-U.S. relationship, but the events in Gander 25 years ago are outside the realm of trade policy and politics.

“The humanity of what happened here, I think that rises above the political discussions and all the other sabre rattling,” he said. “Hopefully this is a bit bigger than all that.”

Farwell said the town holds an event every Sept. 10 to share stories that have not yet been featured in books, films or other media. This year’s list of speakers include David Collenette, who was Canada’s minister of transportation in 2001 and helped oversee Operation Yellow Ribbon, Canada’s emergency response to help safely land 200 diverted aircraft and care for the people on board.

Gander’s arena will host the formal ceremony on Sept. 11 with speeches by dignitaries and musical performances by Newfoundland artists including the Ennis Sisters and Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle. The facility can usually accommodate 2,000 people, but Farwell said he wouldn’t be surprised if 2,500 crammed in.

An invite-only performance of “Come From Away” for dignitaries is also planned.

Farwell said the community was nervous at first about people writing a musical about “what we described as a bunch of people making sandwiches,” but is proud of the role Gander played.

He said he is sometimes contacted by U.S. students on Zoom who weren’t alive at the time, looking to learn about what happened.

“I think Canadians, and Atlantic Canadians and Newfoundlanders, the more isolated you get, the more dependent on each other, historically, we have been,” he said.

“So we tend to understand that (if) someone’s got a problem, it’s everybody’s job to help them fix it. And so that’s certainly true of our culture here.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

-- By Devin Stevens in Halifax