Image: Shaelene Keeler Bell Facebook / Chilliwack-Hope MP Mark Strahl says he fully supports Chilliwack resident Alina Durham's petition in the House of Commons to expand Amber Alerts to include adults. Durham has been working tirelessly to bring attention to the issue of adult missing persons in Canada. Her 23-year-old daughter, Shaelene Keeler Bell, was reported missing on January 30, 2021. The search for Shaelene ended in tragedy when her body was discovered four months later. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Amber Alerts for missing adults

MP Strahl calls for expansion of Amber Alerts to adults, supports petition from Chilliwack mom who lost her daughter

Jan 23, 2024 | 9:35 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack-Hope MP Mark Strahl says he fully supports Alina Durham’s petition in the House of Commons to expand Amber Alerts to include adults.

“Chilliwack’s Alina Durham has been working tirelessly to bring attention to the issue of adult missing persons in Canada,” Strahl said in a released statement Tuesday (Jan. 23). “Her 23-year-old daughter Shaelene Keeler Bell was reported missing on January 30, 2021. The search for Shaelene ended in tragedy when her body was discovered four months later.”

Strahl says Durham has taken a personal tragedy and turned it into a much greater mission to draw much needed attention to a gap in Canada’s missing persons protocol.

“Right now, Amber Alerts are only issued if the victim is under the age of 18. There is no Amber Alert system for adults,” Strahl said. “To honour Shaelene’s memory, I’ve introduced a private member’s motion, M-89, which calls on the government to work with the provinces and territories to expand protections for victims of crime over the age of 18 by amending the criteria for the activation of an Amber Alert for missing persons.”

Image: Shaelene Keller Bell Facebook / A missing sign for Shaelene Keeler Bell from 2021.

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Strahl, who was first elected to Parliament in 2011, says the notification system involving missing adults in Canada needs to be improved.

“In Canada, we need to do better when it comes to finding missing persons. I hope that my motion M-89 will start an important conversation in addressing this problem. If you support my motion, consider signing Alina’s online petition,” Strahl said. “Thank you to Alina for her advocacy for missing adults, and I hope that people across Chilliwack—Hope and across Canada will join me in supporting my private member’s motion and Alina’s petition in honour of Shaelene.”

Those interested in signing the House of Commons petition e-4767 can do so at the following website:

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4767