Wife of missing man pushes for final signatures needed in silver alert petition

Earl Moberg's wife, Brenda, sits behind a photo of her missing husband on Jan. 18, 2025. (Gary Robson/CTV News Winnipeg)

The wife of a Winnipeg man who went missing more than a year ago is determined to gather the remaining signatures needed for a petition to have a nationwide silver alert system.

Earl Moberg, 81, was last seen on Dec. 12, 2023, in the River East area. Moberg had been living with dementia; his family believes he may have gotten lost while out on a walk.

At the time of Moberg’s disappearance, police issued a silver alert online and to local media. However, his family has been calling for changes to the silver alert system.

Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, Raquel Dancho, sponsored a petition late last year, calling on the federal government to develop a national silver alert system that would work similarly to an amber alert used in cases involving children.

At least 4,000 signatures were needed by Jan. 20 for the petition to come before the federal government.

On Saturday, Moberg’s wife, Brenda, was tabling at McIvor Mall in an effort to get a few hundred more people to sign on.

“It’s been over a year now since Earl’s been missing, so we know that the silver alert won’t help Earl,” Brenda said. “It could have helped Earl, though, if it was in place when he went missing, but it could save other seniors.”

“The more signatures we collect, the better it will be, and maybe they would listen,” she added.

As of Saturday evening, the petition had more than 4,360 signatories from across the country, with most hailing from British Columbia and Manitoba.

However, Brenda pointed out that the petition’s presentation before parliament may be delayed due to the prorogation enacted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month.

“I’m not sure when, but these signatures will not be lost. They will be there,” Brenda assured.

While she knows the alert may not come in handy for her missing husband, Brenda said she hasn’t lost hope.

“We’re just hoping he’s found,” she said.

Winnipeg police ask anyone with information about Moberg’s case to call the Missing Persons Unit at 204-986-6250.

With files from CTV’s Danton Unger.