Autism Alliance of Canada calls for coordinated action grounded in lived experience and an autism lens
TORONTO, ON – [October 14, 2026] – Autism Alliance of Canada has released What We Heard: Building a Safer Emergency Response When People Go Missing, a new report outlining priorities for strengthening emergency response when a missing person faces an immediate risk of serious harm.
The report follows an August 27 national roundtable convened by the Alliance, bringing together Autistic people and families with lived experience, first responders, search and rescue and emergency management experts, disability and community organizations, and Members of Parliament.
The discussion examines what needs to happen before, during and after an emergency: from prevention and individualized safety planning, to alert criteria and coordinated search, to safe reunification, follow-up and learning.
The central finding is clear: an alert is an important tool, but it is not a complete emergency response system.
“By bringing together lived experience, first responders, community organizations and policymakers, we identified important areas of common ground,” says Dr. Jonathan Lai, Executive Director of Autism Alliance of Canada. “That includes clearer risk-based criteria, better coordination across search and emergency response, and stronger responder training. The opportunity now is to turn that collective expertise into a more consistent approach across Canada.”
The report builds on national discussions that intensified following the death of 11-year-old Parker Wells. It calls for an approach based on individual risk rather than diagnosis, with lived experience and an autism lens built into policy from the outset.
Participants also considered options including an Indigo Alert and changes to the existing Missing Vulnerable Person Alert. Rather than endorsing a single model, the report identifies shared principles governments can use to assess different approaches, including timely and targeted response, coordination with police and search and rescue, privacy and autonomy, responder training and meaningful involvement of people with lived experience.
The report also emphasizes that Canada can build on existing expertise and infrastructure rather than starting from scratch, including first responder training, search and rescue capacity, emergency alert systems and individualized safety planning.
“When someone goes missing, families face unimaginable worry as they wait for news about someone they love. I thank Autism Alliance of Canada for bringing people together to share their experiences and perspectives on how we can better support safety and dignity. The lived experience of people with autism and their families is an important part of these conversations. We look forward to continuing discussions with the community, provinces, and territories, informed by the insights contained in this report.”
The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski
Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience
“At any moment, another vulnerable Canadian could wander off and find themselves in danger they don’t understand, unable to reach out for help on their own. When that happens, we must ensure that we have immediate access to every tool possible to mobilize the help that can save that individual’s precious life. The tireless efforts of the Autism Alliance of Canada are critical to getting this right. Time is of the essence, and this work gets us closer to a policy change that is long overdue.”
The Honourable Mike Lake
Member of Parliament for Leduc–Wetaskiwin
The Alliance is calling on federal, provincial and territorial governments to build on this common ground and advance a safer, more consistent and coordinated approach across Canada.
Autism Alliance of Canada will continue to convene lived experience, community, responder and government perspectives and support shared action where there is alignment.
About Autism Alliance of Canada
Autism Alliance of Canada is a national charity working to advance the rights, inclusion and full participation of Autistic people in Canada.
Media contact:
Kathleen O’Grady
CEO QUOI Media Group Inc.
613-897-9276
