Good morning. Gander marks 25 years since 9/11 and the friendships forged in its aftermath. More on that below, along with Canada and Ukraine’s new 100-year partnership and Céline Dion’s return to the stage in Paris.
Patrick Woodford, of Gander, N.L., was the air-traffic controller on duty on the day of the 9/11 attacks.Johnny C.Y. Lam/The Globe and Mail
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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. When U.S. airspace closed in 2001, 38 passenger planes were diverted to the small Newfoundland community.
The reunion: Many of the travellers have returned to reconnect with the residents who housed and fed 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. Their chance encounter became a life-long friendship.
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.”
The ceremony: 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.
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
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Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a bilateral meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Calgary on Thursday.Todd Korol/Reuters
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.
The details: 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.
Dan Froese/The Globe and Mail
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.
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. The gap has widened since 2017, when the highest-income group was 2.1 times more likely to have a child.
SIMON WOHLFAHRT/AFP/Getty Images
Céline Dion fever sweeps Paris
Céline Dion is drawing crowds across Paris ahead of her long-awaited return to the 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.
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. Train bookings to the French capital have also surged as fans arrive from across Europe.
The Take
Investing in a self-sustaining publicly owned, but privately operated, high-speed rail network could save Canadian taxpayers money. Ottawa could eventually recoup its capital costs by selling part of the line to investors, such as pension funds.
— Konrad Yakabuski, columnist
Unlike Via, high-speed rail would be a money saver, not a sinkhole, writes Konrad Yakabuski.
The Shot
People walk amid the charred remains of homes near a primary school and a secondary school where a fire broke out in Bukavu, Congo, on Thursday.Janvier Barhahiga/The Associated Press
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. 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.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At 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.
Abroad: 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.
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.
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.
In style: Red-carpet dressing has become big business, with fashion houses, stylists and stars chasing viral moments as much as 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.