Niagara-on-the-Lake holds 9/11 memorial

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The anniversary of an international tragedy is being marked around the world today. Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, remembers the victims and the sacrifices of the first responders.

A memorial service was held in the old town this morning during the time the two planes hit the towers. First responders were joined at the ceremony by town residents and tourists–many of them say they vividly remember where they were that day when the horror of the attacks began to unfold.

At 8:45 am, the moment the first plane hit the tower, Niagara’s police chief and Niagara-on-the-Lake’s fire chief lowered the Canadian and U.S. flags, followed by two minutes of silence. People stopped in their tracks on the street to remember those who lost their lives that day.

Foreign affairs minister and Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson said it was “important to remember all the Americans and Canadians who lost their lives. They will not be forgotten; their cause will not be lost.”

Niagara-on-the-Lake has held this ceremony on September 11th for the past 14 years.

Janice Thomson of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce talked about the town’s strong connection with the U.S. “Right here on Niagara-on-the-Lake we had so many visitors here that day from the United States, people who were just milling about the street early in the morning. And suddenly that feeling of panic and what’s going and no one had the answers. We were all searching at the same time for information.”

40 per cent of tourists who visit here are American. Marc Timpano is a tourist from Long Island who arrived just minutes before the ceremony began. As a police officer he vividly remembers the horrific scenes he saw at Ground Zero that day. “To walk through the streets and to see vehicles and cars and people just covered in ash.”

Marc lost his best friend Ronnie that day when the second tower came down. He saw his friend on video surveillance in the moments before he died.

“I will never get the image of Ronnie… there was a scene of Ronnie getting to the top of the steps of one of the towers, then he turned and looked toward the camera and there was a look on his face that he knew that he wasn’t coming out.”

Marc Timpano was so touched by this ceremony. He got in to town, and his brother who pulled him aside and said ‘come on over, you’ve got to see this.’