COOK’S COVE — They came from all over – from Colchester and Inverness counties, from the Strait of Canso area and Pictou – to answer the call not even the toughest emergency responder on the East Coast ever gets used to hearing: a child had gone missing into the icy waters of our coastline.
That was last April 17, when at 1:40 p.m. Guysborough County RCMP, fire services and Emergency Health Services (EHS) were dispatched to a report that a youngster had fallen into the water while fishing with a man and another child in Cook’s Cove, about five kilometres southeast of the shiretown of Guysborough. According to a RCMP bulletin on April 18, the man entered the water immediately to attempt a rescue, but he was unsuccessful.
Two days later, the search that drew responders from across the province was suspended. In a statement issued Sunday, April 20, the RCMP said the child’s remains have not been located and that “there is no information to suggest that the child got out of the water safely.” The extensive multi-agency operation was formally paused at 5 p.m. on April 19. The RCMP said that “any further search efforts would resume by air at a later date,” while victim services remained engaged.
As the emergency response unfolded, so did a community response to support the family and those who came to search. Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) Warden Paul Long summed that up in an interview with The Journal on Sunday: “It’s very reassuring to know that people have that ability to come through, you know, at a moment’s notice ... in a small area,” he said.
For days, of course, the Guysborough area seemed anything but small. From the outset of the emergency, the scale of the response was remarkable.
“I had been away and was on the road on my way back to town when I got the call last Thursday,” Long recalled about first learning that something terrible had happened that afternoon. “By the time I arrived home, it was probably three o’clock, and there were aircraft in the sky. There were LifeFlight helicopters. There were ambulances. Within a half an hour, there was a large contingent of people there [at the scene]. And how quickly that coordination happened was really amazing.... In talking to a few of the responders who came in from outside the area, [they] said this is one of the greatest responses they’ve ever seen in their search and rescue missions.”
According to Shawn Andrews, MODG’s deputy CAO and emergency measures coordinator, approximately 19 different agencies had been involved in the operation, with more than 150 personnel responding. At times, between 75 and 100 responders were on site. “For events such as this, jurisdiction falls under RCMP... who take lead and coordinate resources as required,” he said in an email.
Apart from local RCMP members, supporting detachments from across the province and Maritimes, and the police force’s mobile command unit, helicopter and dive teams responded; federal resources included the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard, which had deployed a Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans responded with a marine vessel and the Coast Guard contributed additional “marine assets.”
Provincial support came from the Department of Natural Resources’ air services and local staff from the Department of Public Works, who assisted with traffic control near the highway. The Department of Emergency Management contributed both headquarters personnel and a local representative who remained on site, alongside Public Safety and Field Communications teams that provided enhanced communications, power, Internet and radio logistics. EHS deployed ground ambulances and supervisory staff, and placed LifeFlight on local standby.
Ground search and rescue (GSAR) services were led by Strait Area GSAR, with support from Inverness, Pictou and Colchester teams. The Civil Air Search and Rescue Association – a national volunteer organization that provides trained spotters and aircraft – contributed aerial drone surveillance.
Andrews noted that local and municipal assets included the Milford Haven, Queensport and Larry’s River volunteer fire departments, “with Larry’s River deploying a rescue boat.” Pomquet Volunteer Fire Department also responded under the Strait Area Mutual Aid system. The MODG’s public works department provided portable washroom facilities and ongoing logistical support throughout the search. EMO Guysborough served as liaison with all agencies involved, coordinating local support. Meanwhile, the Guysborough Memorial Hospital was prepared to respond to any health or safety-related needs of search personnel from day one.
Throughout, Andrews said, volunteers were crucial to the effort.
“The majority were doing this on a volunteer basis and, at the drop of a dime, left their families, work, recreation activities to go and help someone and a family who they probably don’t even know.”
Long agreed. “The big thing is that majority of the people there were all volunteers,” he said. “This is not their job. They’re volunteering to be on a search and rescue team ... at Easter time ... because it was the right thing to do.... This could have been [their] child.”
As responders worked with methodical precision, the community also rallied.
“Right from the onset, when we first got notified of it, everyone was in quite a bit of shock,” Long said. “But very quickly it was very evident that there was going to be an overwhelming response of support from the community.”
A Facebook post seeking food donations for family members and search crews prompted an immediate outpouring. “It was unbelievable the amount of food and, you know, drink and coffee and all that type of thing that came in,” Long said. “It was just amazing. Even up to, you know, early late afternoon yesterday [Saturday, April 19], there was still food coming, not knowing, you know, how long the search was going to go on.”
The Royal Canadian Legion became a hub of activity. “Obviously, the family was staying on site quite a bit, so the food that was coming in was being delivered right down to the emergency scene,” Long said. “There were a number of people who were the workers at certain points in the recovery mission, [who] were able to leave the scene and come up to get inside and have something to eat.”
Volunteers continued to prepare, deliver and serve meals. Local stores continued to donate supplies. “Responders were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of food and support, unlike some have ever seen before,” Andrews said.
“The best thing we could do was to bring the food and deliver it as needed,” Long said. “Let them do what they’re trained to do.”
Long said that, even amid heartbreak, the response has shown the county, the province, at its best.
“When I say Guysborough, it’s not just the village area, it’s the community in general,” he said. “All around everybody’s coming together and doing what they do.”
On Monday, the administrator of a new Facebook page called “The Search for Oakley” described it as “a place to help aid the search for 4-year-old Oakley... a dirty-blonde-haired boy last seen wearing a black jacket and boots, missing from the Cook’s Cove area in Guysborough County.” The page is being used to share updates on search locations. Already, more than 1,700 people have joined.
The RCMP’s most recent statement spoke for all the searchers and helpers: “Our thoughts are with the child’s loved ones and the community at this difficult time.”
But for those involved, the purpose was always clear: to come together when it mattered most.
“Our community is very fortunate to have had so many people come to be part of this search and rescue effort,” Long said. “This is what you’re going to see in most small areas ... It makes you very proud to be in this one.”
