"In some situations, the cost to the airline in ensuring a passenger is not left stranded after a 24-hour delay could be four times the ticket value, " he added.

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He got stranded in the freezing wilderness overnight while snowmobiling in 2002 in an ordeal that cost him one of his toes.

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Stranded Heart was created by artist Diane Maclean, who agreed to sell the sculpture at cost.

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