Manitoba family on ‘last big push’ in petition for changes to missing vulnerable adults alert system

The Moberg family is in the final stretch of their mission to gather signatures for a petition supporting the use of cellphone emergency alerts to locate vulnerable adults who go missing. Their loved one, Earl Moberg, disappeared in Winnipeg’s River East area on Dec. 12, 2023. At the time, Earl was 81 years old and suffering from dementia.

When Earl went missing, Winnipeg police issued a silver alert to notify the public about a vulnerable missing adult. However, his family is advocating for a national strategy that would display these alerts on cellphones, similar to Amber Alerts for missing children. Brenda Moberg, Earl’s wife, emphasized the importance of preventing other seniors from going missing and their families from enduring the same pain they have experienced.

Since October, the Moberg family has collected over 4,400 signatures from across the country in support of updating the silver alert system. To gather more support, Brenda set up a table at McIvor Mall in North Kildonan, encouraging people to sign the petition.

In response to Earl’s disappearance, Manitoba amended its Missing Persons Act to allow police to share information on vulnerable adults in hopes of finding them safely. While silver alerts are shared with media outlets, the family faced challenges in disseminating information on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram due to restrictions on news content.

Britt Moberg, Earl’s daughter, highlighted the need for faster dissemination of alerts, citing missed opportunities to locate her father alive. She shared that after the silver alert was issued, a person reported seeing someone resembling Earl at a clinic, but they were unaware of his disappearance until days later when they saw his photo on social media.

As the search for Earl continues, the family stresses the importance of informing the public promptly when vulnerable adults go missing. Data from the University of Waterloo suggests that vulnerable adults are usually found within four to 12 kilometers of their last known location, emphasizing the need for targeted alerts to specific communities.

The family’s petition, sponsored by Winnipeg Conservative MP Raquel Dancho, aims to address these issues and improve the existing alert system. With Parliament prorogued until March, the timeline for tabling the proposal remains uncertain. However, for Brenda and Britt Moberg, finding a solution to prevent tragedies like Earl’s disappearance is a pressing matter that must be addressed promptly.

As the number of individuals living with dementia in Canada continues to rise, the Moberg family hopes that their efforts will lead to changes that can prevent future incidents of vulnerable adults going missing. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that no other family has to endure the pain of losing a loved one in such circumstances.