After watching the team searching for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse from his Kaministiquia River shoreline office every day for the past two months, Maurice Mailhot realized they don’t plan on giving up.
"They have a dignity that’s amazing," said the owner of Western Grain By-Products Storage Ltd. "We watch them every day…they’re good people; they really are. They’re tenacious, hardworking and diligent."
So when Mailhot and his son Graham, the senior vice-president of Western Grain, heard the searchers were losing their headquarters at the recreation hall just south of the James Street swing bridge, the Mailhots felt it was an easy decision to open their doors as a new home base.
"For us it was really a no-brainer," said Graham Mailhot. "It’s a matter of what would you want someone to do if you were in their position."
The search team lost the recreation hall because of events previously booked for the spring. Jordan was last seen on Feb. 7 leaving a city bus near Holt Place and Mary Street. Footprints near open water on the Kam River led police to focus the search in that area. A provincial dive team and helicopter have also been used in the search for the missing Webequie First Nation teen.
Western Grain has lent the searchers the use of their lunchroom and office while the company is their off-season lull. The team has Internet and telephone access at the Kingston Street office as well as kitchen facilities.
Graham Mailhot said the search team can stay at their offices until they get busy with work in a month or so, but they will continue to help where they can.
"We’ve discussed with some of the other elevator managers and whatever the grain community in Thunder Bay can do to help out, whether it’s finding the facilities, providing our own facilities, providing boat access for searching, we’ll provide that," he said.
He added being so far from home, they’d like to help provide whatever resources they can to find Jordan.
"It’s a humbling experience for us," he said.
Anyone wanting to help in the search for Jordan or make donations, can do so at Western Grain’s office at 102 Kingston St.
