Police have stepped up their search for a missing first-year York University student, who disappeared after attending his year-end formal two weekends ago.

Shane Fair, 19, attended the Calumet Formal, held at Ontario Place's Atlantis Pavilion on Friday, May 15.

He was supposed to take a bus home from the party, but he missed it.

Fair was last seen in the early hours of Saturday, May 16, in the Lake Shore Boulevard and British Columbia Road area.

On Tuesday afternoon, Det. Jason Kraft told reporters gathered at a news conference that police have completed an initial search effort for Fair, and have moved the investigation to a new level.

"Our search efforts have exhausted a level two search. A level three search effort is underway. This means additional resources have been assigned (to the case)," Kraft said.

A command post has been set up at the CNE grounds, close to where Fair was last seen.

Fair's family says it is unusual for him to disappear without telling anyone.

They have been searching the downtown and waterfront areas for signs of Fair, believing that he may have tried to walk to his mother's home in the Beach the night he disappeared.

His parents are calling on the public to contact police with any information they might have about their son's disappearance.

The missing man's mother, Lisa Malo, told reporters that she is concerned that her son could have been suffering in the cold weather that has been present since he disappeared.

"I'm just really worried that he's not going to survive through all of this," she said at the news conference on Tuesday.

Malo said there were no indications her son was upset prior to the formal on the evening of May 15.

"From what his friends have told me, he was his usual self: Very boisterous, having a great time, it was the end of the year of his first year at university and he left as usual. To me, he was the same old Shane," she told reporters at the news conference on Tuesday.

"And I saw him the night before. He was really looking forward to the event, he had plans for the following week and the coming months. So, to me, I really don't believe that he would have gone off by himself without telling anybody."

Since he went missing, there has been "no activity whatsoever" on his credit card or cellphone, Malo said.

At the news conference, Brian Fair, the missing man's father, urged the public to come forward with whatever information they could provide to police.

The family is doing their best to stay strong, he said.

"We want to keep hope that he's still alive and he has survived," he said. "If anything has happened to him, we don't know. We hope that he will be found."

Fair, who is a reserve soldier with the Canadian Armed Forces, is described as being white, about 5'11", 170 lbs., with brown hair and a short Mohawk. He was wearing a blue suit with a blue shirt and blue tie when he went missing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3100, or to call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477.

Members of the public can also send in tips online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and their message to CRIMES (274637).