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Métis Nation-Saskatchewan is urging the province to consider an Indigo Alert system for missing people who may not qualify for an Amber Alert.
MN-S ministers are calling for Saskatchewan to work with Alberta on developing an alert system aimed at addressing gaps in the existing Amber Alert criteria.
The push follows the death of 11-year-old Parker Wells, an autistic boy who was reported missing from his Calgary daycare on July 16. His body was found in a culvert after a 13-day search.
According to MN-S, the case did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.
Calls for a broader alert system
MN-S Health and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Beverly Fullerton said the issue is personal for her family.
“For me, this advocacy is deeply personal. My son Weston is autistic, non-speaking and lives with a severe intellectual developmental disability. If he were to wander or go missing, he would be unable to communicate his name, address or needs, ask for help, or explain the danger he may be facing. 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 within minutes. A new system needs to be put in place to close those gaps.”
Fullerton is joined by Minister Loretta King, responsible for Child and Family Services, and Minister Brennan Merasty, responsible for Justice, in calling on Saskatchewan to explore an Indigo Alert.
The ministers sent a letter last week to their provincial counterparts requesting a co-operative and inclusive approach to developing a new alert system. The letter also includes an invitation for Indigenous involvement in the process.
Minister shares personal experience
King said Parker’s case also hits close to home after the loss of her niece, Adyson, last year.
Adyson went missing near Meadow Lake in April 2025 while in what King described as a vulnerable state. RCMP searched the Meadow River, while family and community members organized a more intensive ground search.
King said the family later made a heartbreaking discovery.
“Families in those situations should be supporting each other, while the authorities spearhead the search. We need an inclusive alert system that carries the same weight as an Amber Alert, no matter who the missing individual is.”
For West Central Saskatchewan residents, the proposed system could affect how information about vulnerable missing people is distributed during an emergency.
WestCentralOnline has previously reported on Saskatchewan’s existing public alert systems, including dangerous person alerts and Alert Ready.
Proposed system would address Amber Alert gaps
The Indigo Alert System was proposed in Alberta following Parker Wells’ death, according to MN-S.
The Saskatchewan ministers are asking the province to consider a similar approach and work collaboratively on a system designed for people who fall outside the existing Amber Alert criteria.
No details about a proposed Saskatchewan Indigo Alert framework, including eligibility requirements or how alerts would be issued, were included in the MN-S release.
