A large crowd of people attended a vigil on Thursday evening for Parker Wells, an 11-year-old Calgary boy with autism who went missing earlier this month but was ultimately found dead this week. The mourners included members of the community who gave their time during the desperate search, which lasted more than two weeks. Other participants included residents who simply wanted to pay their respects to Parker and his family. On Thursday, Calgary police confirmed a body found in a culvert near Deerfoot Trail was Parker. The organizer of the event said it will take some time for Calgary to move forward from the tragic loss. “I think they (Parker’s family) know that we’re there for them,” said Steven Phan, who volunteered in the search. “We love Parker. It united the city, united the community to come out and search for this boy.” Parker went missing from his care home on July 16, and an Amber Alert was issued in response to his disappearance; a rare move considering the case did not meet the criteria. A public petition has been launched to create a new form of an alert – an Indigo Alert – to better suit the needs for children with autism. Mike Lake, a Conservative MP in Alberta, says his son Jaden, now 30, has autism. Lake says a child with autism, left on their own, can be in serious danger within minutes. “He has and has always had a really visual memory. He would know exactly where a swimming pool that he likes is, or a park that he likes is, but the abstract world is a little bit tougher for him to navigate,” Lake said about his son, who is non-verbal. “So, things like danger and understanding traffic, and dangers around water and those kind of things for a lot of kids on the autism spectrum — particularly in that range of the autism spectrum — are really difficult.” Both he and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who himself is the father of a child with autism, have written a letter to Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski to push for a new alert system that would “respond from that moment” when a child with autism goes missing. They also ask for strengthened first-responder training and search protocols for missing children with autism and are non-speaking, as well as for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Olszewski, in a statement, said she has received the letter and would meet next week with Lake to discuss its proposals and how to strengthen emergency communication. Meanwhile, in Calgary, a larger public memorial is expected to take place in the coming days. With files from the Canadian Press
