Member of Provincial Parliament Monique Taylor, who represents Hamilton Mountain, has proposed a new bill to amend Amber Alerts to include all vulnerable people, not just children.
On Monday, she tabled Bill 74, an act to amend the Missing Persons Amendment Act, 2023, that was read into the Ontario legislature.
As of now, Amber Alerts are only issued to those under the age of 17 in the event of a child abduction.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), it is only issued when the abducted child is believed to be at imminent risk of bodily harm or death.
The new proposed bill wants to widen the scope of possible individuals who may need help in a similar circumstance.
This includes facilitating a search for a missing person who, because of their age, a disability or other circumstances, whether temporary or permanent “is in a position of dependency on others or is otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by a person in a position of trust or authority towards them,” Bill 74 states.
The bill also notes that the OPP should have the authority to issue a vulnerable persons alert if a request is made by an officer.
There are no dates scheduled yet for the second and third reading of the bill.
