Keesha Levesque, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
In the aftermath of the death of an 11-year-old Alberta boy who had autism, Metis Nation-Saskatchewan is urging the provincial government to implement the proposed Indigo Alert system for cases like the tragedy last month.
The search in Calgary for 11-year-old Parker Wells ended on July 29, when his body was found in a culvert. Wells had autism and was non-verbal, and his case didn’t fit the traditional criteria to issue an Amber Alert.
The Alberta government made an exception two days after Wells disappeared, but the delay caused a massive outcry, especially from parents with neurodivergent children.
An Indigo Alert would be designed specifically for vulnerable individuals outside of abduction cases, including those with intellectual or physical disabilities, children with autism or seniors with dementia.
“We need authorities to be able to respond to missing persons reported, regardless of their age, immediately. We need to remove the barriers that currently prevent a wider alert system that could save lives,” said MN-S justice minister Brennan Merasty.
MN-S officials sent a letter last week to the province, requesting a “cooperative and inclusive approach to developing a new alert system, with an open invitation for Indigenous involvement at the table.”
MN-S child and family services minister Loretta King, along with health and addictions minister Beverly Fullerton, both have personal reasons to advocate for the new Indigo Alert in Saskatchewan.
Fullerton has a son who has autism and is non-speaking, who she said would be unable to communicate his name, address, needs or ask for help.
“For families like mine, this issue is not theoretical. It is a fear we carry every day, and it can become a life-or-death emergency in minutes,” Fullerton said.
Last year, King’s family dealt with the death of her niece, who was in a vulnerable state when she went missing.
“While RCMP searched the Meadow River bank to bank, it was our family and community who organized a more intensive ground search that led us to our heartbreaking discovery shortly after,” King said.
“We need an inclusive alert system that carries the same weight as an Amber Alert, no matter who the missing individual is.”
In recent days, a parliamentary petition seeking the expansion of emergency alerts for vulnerable children was launched, sponsored by Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner.
Several politicians have also expressed their support for a reformed alert system, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said any changes in the province require coordination through national government bodies responsible for public alerting.
“The SPSA supports the development of a new alert category supported by clear eligibility criteria and consistent application across Canada,” SPSA said in a statement.
In Saskatchewan, four specific criteria must be met before police initiate an Amber Alert: the missing person is under 18 or living with a significant cognitive, physical or intellectual disability; an investigation has confirmed an abduction in which police believe there is imminent danger of bodily harm or death; there is enough descriptive information to ensure the public can identify the elements; and there is a reasonable expectation that the abducted person could quickly be returned or the abductor could be apprehended.
