Manitoba MP introduces national Silver Alert bill

A Winnipeg family’s call for a national silver alert system has made it to the House of Commons.

A Manitoba MP has introduced a bill aiming to create a national standard to make it easier to locate missing vulnerable seniors.

Raquel Dancho (Kildonan-St. Paul) introduced Bill C-263, a private member’s bill, in the House of Commons on Tuesday. The bill would create a national framework for Silver Alerts, which are issued when a vulnerable adult goes missing.

The proposed bill was influenced by the disappearance of 81-year-old Earl Moberg in Winnipeg. Moberg, who had dementia, was last seen in the River East area on Dec. 12, 2023, while out on a walk. He has never been found and is presumed deceased.

“Cases like this remind us that every minute matters when a vulnerable senior goes missing,” Dancho said in a news release.

Moberg’s daughter Britt has collected a petition with more than 7,300 signatures calling for a national Silver Alert system. The same petition received 4,600 signatures last year, but the 2025 election call forced the family to start over.

“A Silver Alert sent to mobile devices could quickly reach people in the local community, helping locate missing older adults faster and saving lives,” Britt said in a news release. “The tools already exist—now we need to use them."

The proposed bill, if passed, would require Ottawa to work with provincial and territorial governments and law enforcement agencies to create a coordinated standard when vulnerable adults with dementia or other cognitive impairments go missing.

The bill is expected to be debated later this year.