The New York City fire department, which lost 341 firefighters on 9/11, has slammed a Canadian politician for using graphic images of the world's worst terror attack on her publicity posters for her annual fundraising event.

Nancy Heppner, minister for environment in Canada's Saskatchewan province, used the picture of the World Trade Center's south tower taken just after hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into it, on posters for her fundraiser. The Canadian minister used the 9/11 picture on her invitation posters because the event was being attended by New York firefighter chief Richard Picciotto, the highest-ranking firefighter pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center, reports here said.

When the offending poster came to the attention of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), it criticised the Canadian politician for using the tragedy to publicize her event. Calling the use of the image 'in bad taste,' FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer said, 'The FDNY hopes that no one ever forgets what happened on September 11.

'However, we do think that the use of images of the attacks for political or monetary gain, like the image on this poster, is in bad taste.''

The US media has a self-imposed code not to use 9/11 images as they may open wounds of the victims' families.

After her criticism by the New York fire department, the Canadian minister apologized Friday, saying, 'If somebody is offended, that was not what we were hoping or planning for and if that's the case, then obviously we're sorry for that.'

The invited New York firefighter, who knew nothing about the use of 9/11 photos on invitation posters, said people should be sensitive about using the images of the tragedy.

The minister also came in for criticism from the opposition New Democratic Party which called the use of 9/11

images to do fundraising 'tasteless and lacks judgment.''