MP delivers national DNA databank petition

REGINA — The movement to create two Canadian DNA databanks to help law enforcement agencies in missing persons investigations has taken another step forward.

On Wednesday, Palliser MP Ray Boughen presented a petition to the House of Commons that asked Parliament to support creating national DNA missing persons and unidentified human remains databanks and linking them with the national DNA databank used to catch criminals.

The petition, which had 925 signatures, was brought to Boughen by Moose Jaw’s Melanie Alix, whose son Dylan Koshmann has been missing since October 2008.

“I think it’s an issue that will bring closure to some questions that people have,” Boughen said. “Right now, there are very limited identification opportunities.

“This would enhance the identification process.”

The petition now goes to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada to be examined by the appropriate department. After a period of ap- proximately 45 business days, the government will give its response to the petition. This could mean, for example, the issue will be opened up for further study.

For Alix, getting to this point has been a long process — one that started soon after Koshmann, then 21, disappeared from Edmonton, where he was working as a pipefitter. When Alix’s DNA was taken following the disappearance, she was shocked to learn it would not be available across Canada to aid the search.

After many searches were held to track down Koshmann, Alix de- cided to push the issue of a national databank and collect signatures.

In mid-january, she presented the petition to Boughen and after going through a two-week certification process — ensuring the names were valid — the petition was brought to the House of Commons.

“With this bill being passed, it might not help our family, but it might help someone else,” Alix has said. “If it helps one person, that’s a huge deal. But I have a feeling it will open the doors big time for the law enforcement.”

In 2009, there were more than 50,000 missing children reported in Canada. Sean Jenkinson of the Edmonton Police Service missing persons unit deals with many national missing persons cases. He noted the department is a “supporter” of a national databank.

“If you had a missing person in Alberta and found human remains in Saskatchewan … if you had a national databank, that’s something that could be matched up pretty quickly,” he said.

Since 2003, the United States’ national databank has matched 500 missing people and unidentified remains, solving 83 cases in 2010.