9/11 memorial a simple service this year

Correction: The print version of The Local had the incorrect time for Friday's wreath-laying ceremony. It begins at 8:30 a.m.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 will continue to be remembered in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but with a simple wreath-laying this year.

Eduardo Lafforgue, president of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, has continued a tradition started by former president Janice Thomson with the annual commemoration, but this Friday, he and Lord Mayor Betty Disero will simply lay a wreath at 8:30 a.m. at the cenotaph, with the American flag flying.

The memorial service has always been attended by representatives of the Niagara Regional Police, the local fire department and Niagara EMS, and the service was held in part to honour the efforts of the first responders who were called out that day to face a situation no one could ever imagine. But physical distancing would make that difficult, says Lafforgue, so the decision was made to hold the simple wreath-laying ceremony at the Queen Street cenotaph, with the memorial service to continue next year, recognizing the 20th anniversary of the traumatic events of Sept. 11.