In America, the death of Osama bin Laden caused a rush of crowds to the White House and Times Square, pandemonium on university campuses and spontaneous chants at baseball parks.
Here in Canada, the mood was more reflective.
Erica Basnicki's father Ken was one of 24 Canadians killed on September 11, and she said bin Laden's death makes her think of him.
"I really feel like he's supporting me today," she said from her home in London, England. "Not that this is bad news, but it's tough when 9/11 springs up on you all of a sudden."
Basnicki said until she heard the news, bin Laden being alive was still affecting her.
"My life has changed dramatically in one sense, because this spectre of Osama Bin Laden is no longer there," she said.
Security analyst Michel Drapeau said that's not the only effect bin Laden's death will have, as Al Qaeda will now be shaken.
"They thought they were unbeatable but now they have to worry whether their communications are being intercepted . . . and whether or not there will be a second strike," he said.
Basnicki said this news will also change her trip to Ground Zero in New York for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
"That was going to be me getting Osama bin Laden back, just standing there smiling," she said. "He's dead, but I'm still going to stand there and smile because I do have a life past 9/11.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Alyshah Hasham
