The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) has deemed the disappearance of a Winnipeg senior, Earl Moberg a ‘critical incident’.

The announcement from the WRHA came on Friday, June 7th, roughly one month after Mobergs’ daughter, Britt Moberg sent a letter to the health authority, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, and the Critical Incident Review Committee (CIRC) calling on the province to investigate and make changes to the system to prevent other families from undergoing similar circumstances.

Mr. Moberg who lived with dementia, would frequently wander and went missing six months ago as of Wednesday, with his last known location being somewhere near the Kildonan Settler’s Bridge.

Global News received a statement from a WRHA spokesperson in regards to designating Moberg’s disappearance a ‘critical incident’:

“Our thoughts go out to the family of Earl Moberg at this time. We can confirm the initial review of Mr. Moberg’s case has been completed and we will review it as a critical incident to better understand if there is anything that the system could do differently and what, if any improvements can be made to the way health-care providers work.

Family will be invited to participate in the review process and any recommendations will be shared with them once the review is complete.” – WRHA Spokesperson

For Britt Moberg, receiving the news that the WRHA deemed her father’s disappearance a critical incident is a double-edged sword.

“Definitely had some tears to find out that news. I wanted to call my dad, as I do when something important happens in life,” Moberg said. “Obviously, he’s not here anymore, but I know that he would say, ‘That’s great.’ He would have been pleased with that.”

And despite the ongoing grief Moberg feels, she hopes this will help the province improve the system and help other families.

“A lot of people want to be able to age in place at home, [for] as long, and as safely as they can,” explained Moberg. “In terms of supports… creating safety plans and being able to access services for things that can be lifesaving, can help prevent injury, but can also add to the quality of life that people have.”

Moberg continued by saying how individuals who live with dementia are able to lead fulfilling lives.

“I think just showing that older adults with dementia are valuable members of our communities,” Moberg said. “Even with my dad and the advanced level of dementia he has, his life had value. He is somebody who took care of himself. He exercised and ate well, and he wanted to live a long time, and he was still able to be enjoying his life, and I wish he was still here.”

Earl Moberg has yet to be located, and at this time is presumed deceased.

Earl Moberg, shown here went missing in December of 2023. The jacket in this photo is believed to be what he was wearing on the day he went missing. Britt Moberg