\u201cAs a community and as a mom, everybody\u2019s heart is breaking tonight,\u201d said one memorial attendee. \u201cI felt it important to come out tonight and hope for change in the community and across Canada and hope this never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many at the memorials pointed to concerns about the emergency alert system. Parker\u2019s Amber Alert was issued roughly 48 hours after he was reported missing, a delay that some believe cost valuable time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the alert would\u2019ve gone out the second the police got that call, people would\u2019ve been able to see him,\u201d said Mikayla Williamson. \u201cThey would\u2019ve been out on the street, they would\u2019ve been in their front yards and seen him walking by instead of finding the footage hours later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maddy Dever, chair of the National Autism Network, said the earliest stages of a search are often the most critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first two days is when the best chance of finding a person who has wandered and been lost,\u201d Dever said.<\/p>\n
He hopes Parker\u2019s death can spark a broader conversation about creating standardized protocols for missing vulnerable people across Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe premiers can say, \u2018This is something we can work together on so that it doesn\u2019t matter where the child is across the country, there\u2019s a system in place to help them be found,\u2019 \u201d Dever said.<\/p>\n
WATCH: Memorial held for 11-year-old Parker after his remains were found<\/p>\n
Despite the tragedy, many attendees reflected on the extraordinary community response that emerged during the search.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have wanted the same from the community, every person to go out to help look, and Calgary did that. We showed up,\u201d said one mourner.<\/p>\n
Courtney said one of the few positives to come from the ordeal was seeing strangers unite around a common goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see the park now and it\u2019s so empty compared to what it\u2019s been for the last 11 days,\u201d she said. \u201cThat just goes to show you that everyone came and stepped up and really wanted to find him.\u201d<\/p>\n
As candles flickered and prayers were offered, many focused on ensuring Parker\u2019s family knew they were not alone in their grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor one brief moment, he was our son too,\u201d said another attendee. \u201cI want the family to know they haven\u2019t been alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Calgary Tower was illuminated in blue Thursday night in Parker\u2019s honour, a visible reminder of a summer when a city came together to search for a boy they had never met.<\/p>\n
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