Protecting Vulnerable Seniors

MP Raquel Dancho Introduces Bill C-263 to Establish a National Silver Alert Framework

When a vulnerable senior goes missing, every minute matters

Two years ago, the North Kildonan community was shaken by the disappearance of Earl Moberg, a beloved father, grandfather, and educator who was living with dementia. Despite extensive search efforts by family, volunteers, and law enforcement, Earl was never found and is presumed deceased.

Following his disappearance, the Moberg family launched a petition, calling for a national Silver Alert system to help locate missing seniors with cognitive impairments. MP Raquel Dancho, was honoured to support this petition.

In October, Earl’s daughter Britt Moberg travelled to Ottawa to witness the petition being presented in the House of Commons. The petition was signed by over 7,300 Canadians from every province and territory, demonstrating strong national support for action to protect vulnerable seniors.

MP Dancho would also like to thank Brenda Moberg, Earl’s wife, for her tireless advocacy, and the many Canadians who helped share the petition and raise awareness of this issue.

The petition served as a launchpad for action to provide better tools to help find missing vulnerable Canadians. MP Dancho is now bringing forward legislation to establish a national Silver Alert framework in Canada.

Britt Moberg, holding a picture of Earl Moberg, and MP Raquel Dancho, standing outside the House of Commons after presenting the Silver Alert petition.

MP Raquel Dancho presenting Bill C-263, The Silver Alert National Framework Act, in the House of Commons.

It is time for action

Canada’s population is aging, and protecting vulnerable seniors is becoming increasingly urgent. By 2030, nearly one million Canadians are expected to be living with Alzheimer’s disease, and studies suggest that up to 60% may go missing at some point. If not located within 12 hours, the risk of serious injury or death increases dramatically.

MP Raquel Dancho introduced Private Member’s Bill C-263 in Parliament on March 10, 2026 to establish a national Silver Alert framework in Canada. The bill would help ensure authorities can quickly alert the public when a vulnerable senior goes missing, allowing communities to act as extra eyes and ears during the critical early hours.

Using Canada’s existing National Public Alerting System, Silver Alerts could be geotargeted to nearby areas where a missing senior is most likely to be found, helping to deliver rapid awareness while avoiding unnecessary alert fatigue.

Protecting vulnerable seniors should not be partisan. Establishing a national Silver Alert framework is a matter of public safety, compassion, and common sense.

Why Canada Needs a National Silver Alert System

The Issue

Vulnerable seniors living with dementia go missing every year in Canada. When that happens, every minute matters.

By 2030, nearly one million Canadians are expected to be living with dementia, creating a growing public safety challenge when vulnerable seniors go missing. When a person living with dementia is not located quickly, the risk of serious injury or death increases dramatically.

Despite this growing challenge, Canada does not have a coordinated national framework to ensure rapid alerts are issued when vulnerable seniors disappear.

Why This Matters

When a senior with dementia goes missing, members of the public may unknowingly encounter them without realizing they are in distress.

Rapid public awareness can be one of the most decisive factors in locating someone safely. Alerting communities quickly allows more people to be looking for the missing person and increases the likelihood of a safe recovery.

What is a Silver Alert?

A Silver Alert is a public emergency notification issued when a vulnerable adult—typically a senior living with dementia or another cognitive impairment—goes missing and is believed to be at risk.

Silver Alerts function similarly to Amber Alerts for missing children, quickly notifying the public in a specific geographic area so communities can help locate the missing person.

What the Legislation Would Do

Bill C-263, The Silver Alert National Framework Act, would require the federal government to work with provinces, territories, and law enforcement to establish a national framework for Silver Alerts.

The framework would:

• Establish coordinated national standards for issuing Silver Alerts

• Support consistent use of rapid public alerts when vulnerable seniors go missing

• Improve coordination across provinces and jurisdictions

• Ensure alerts are issued responsibly to minimize unnecessary notifications

• Respect provincial jurisdiction over policing and emergency management

Using Infrastructure Canada Already Has

Canada already has the technological capability to deliver rapid, geotargeted emergency alerts to the public through the National Public Alerting System (NPAS), which distributes alerts to mobile devices, television, and radio across the country.

NPAS is powered by the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System (NAADS), which uses cell broadcast technology to deliver alerts to specific geographic areas in real time. The system already supports alerts such as Amber Alerts and other public safety notifications.

This legislation focuses on ensuring that this existing infrastructure can be used more consistently and effectively when vulnerable seniors go missing.

The Goal

When a vulnerable senior goes missing, every minute matters. A coordinated Silver Alert framework would help ensure Canadians are notified quickly so communities can help locate missing seniors and bring them home safely.