THUNDER BAY - Shoaib Ahmed had never been on Canadian soil to celebrate Canada Day.
An international student originally from India, Ahmed just completed his second year at Lakehead University, and felt comfortable enough to stay in Thunder Bay for the summer.
"It's almost like home," he said.
Ahmed was one of an estimated 20,000 people who attended Marina Park for the celebration of Canada's independence.
"It's better than I expected," he said. "It's an amazing experience getting to know the culture."
The celebration featured live music, food vendors, fireworks, and a lot of people dressed in red.
Ahmed said the celebration is similar to India's - a sign he's feeling at home here in Thunder Bay.
"We have a parade and different things going on. It's kind of the same here but it feels different."
During the Rotary House Lottery Draw, many local politicians gathered on stage to address the crowd, per annual tradition.
A local member of the political community, former MP John Rafferty recently passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Current Liberal MP Patty Hajdu said she knew John from her position with Shelter House, where she worked as the executive director.
"Part of that job was advocacy and making sure MP's and city councillors knew about the issues that people facing homelessness were doing.
"I always found I could write to him and get a response. We didn't have a ton of interaction but I appreciated what he did for the community,"
She said she felt deeply saddened by the loss, and was keeping his wife and family in her heart.
"Political families are under a lot of stress and they spend a lot of time apart from their loved ones when they are going through very intense experiences. My heart was with his wife and his family."
