Death of Tina Fontaine

Tina's paternal grandfather was a residential schools survivor, and his experiences as a child led to years of severe alcoholism and violence. At the age of twelve, Tina's father Eugene Fontaine left his home in Sagkeeng First Nation, 121 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Winnipeg, to move to Winnipeg, where he fended for himself on the streets. In Winnipeg, he developed an addiction to alcohol.[6]

Tina's mother was raised in Bloodvein First Nation, 250 kilometres (160 mi) north of Winnipeg. Starting at the age of six, Tina's mother was removed from and returned to her mother several times by Manitoba Child and Family Services. Tina's mother experienced a number of significant traumas as a young child, which the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth said in a 2019 report "were not appropriately addressed." At the age of 10, Tina's mother was taken from her family permanently. After that, she was moved repeatedly, began to be sexually exploited by adults, and started to use alcohol and drugs. The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth says little was done to intervene and protect her.[6]

When Tina's parents met, her mother was a 12-year-old child in care, and her father was 23. Child and Family Services records show it knew their relationship was sexual and knew that Tina's father had a past that involved violence and severe addictions. Files noted that Tina's mother would frequently run away from her foster placements to stay with Tina's father. In 1994, Tina's mother described to her caseworker feeling "depressed", "suicidal", "isolated, alone, and unloved."[6]

In the spring of 1996, at the age of 14, Tina's mother gave birth to her first child, who was immediately and permanently taken from her by child and family services.[6]

Tina was born on 1 January 1999, and in June 2000, her mother gave birth to a third child.[6]

When she was one year old, Tina was removed from her family's care for the first time by Child and Family Services. It happened again when she was two, after which she was returned to the care of her father. When Tina was five years old, her father placed her and her younger sibling with her great-aunt through a private guardianship arrangement.[6][7]

In 2011, when Tina Fontaine was 12, her father was beaten to death; his two assailants were convicted of manslaughter. Fontaine's aunt recalled that her father's violent death deeply affected the girl. "She was very hurt, very lost. That's when she drifted away."[8] Despite being eligible, she did not receive grief counseling following her father's death. In a 2019 report, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth notes that child and family services was clearly aware that Tina was struggling in the period between her father's death and her own. Records from the time document Tina being increasingly absent from school, missing assignments and being suspended from school, getting into verbal confrontations and physical fights that resulted in police being called, getting medical treatment for self-harm, and being reported missing three times. During this period, her family repeatedly asked for help from child and family services.[6]

By July 2014, at the age of 15, Tina Fontaine was living in Winnipeg.[6]

Fontaine was reported missing to Winnipeg Police Service on 31 July 2014.[9][10] Her aunt, Lana, later said that Fontaine had stayed with her during the August long weekend (1–3 August).[9] On 5 August, Fontaine telephoned her CFS worker and was subsequently picked up by members of CFS and Winnipeg Police Service.[9] What happened to Fontaine between August 5 and August 8 is unclear, but she remained a missing youth.[9] She presented at a youth shelter in the early morning hours of August 8, but left shortly thereafter. At 5:15 a.m. on 8 August,[7] two police officers encountered her in a truck with an allegedly drunk driver as part of a traffic stop, but did not take her into custody, even though she was known to be missing.[9][11] The two constables were suspended for their actions and left the police force.[12]

At 10 a.m., she was found passed out in an alleyway near Ellice Avenue and was escorted to hospital and treated before being checked into a hotel placement, which she soon left.[7] She was reported missing again on 9 August.[13]

At around 1:30 p.m. on 17 August, a body was found wrapped in plastic and a duvet cover and weighed down with rocks in the Red River.[14][13][15][16] The body was identified as that of Fontaine the following day.[17] Police believe she had died on or around August 10.[18] An autopsy was unable to conclusively determine a cause of death.[6]

A young woman who claimed to have been with Fontaine shortly before she disappeared told CBC News of events that happened in the hours leading up to her disappearance. Identified by CBC News as "Katrina", she said that after she met Fontaine between 10 and 11 p.m. on August 7, they went to eat at the Macdonald Youth Services emergency shelter at around 2:30 a.m.[19] Believing Fontaine was drunk, Katrina requested the shelter staff keep her overnight, but Fontaine refused to stay, and refused to give her name.[19] After seeing her get into the truck and the encounter with the police, Katrina lost contact with Fontaine until around 8 p.m., after Fontaine left the hotel where she was staying.[19] At around 3 a.m. the following morning, the two young women were approached on Ellice Avenue by a man who offered Fontaine money to perform a sex act.[19] She accepted and left with the man. Katrina followed them but lost sight of the two in the dark.[19]

In response to Fontaine's death, the Canadian Human Rights Commission requested a full inquiry into the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The RCMP already had such a study underway, which was completed in 2014. Acting chief commissioner David Langtry wrote, "Once again our hearts are filled with grief and sadness as we mourn the brutal and senseless murder of an Aboriginal girl. Tina must not disappear into the oblivion of statistics."[20] With the change in government, in December 2016 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that a national inquiry titled "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls" would be undertaken. Five independent commissioners were appointed, and commissioners and staff began to consult with families, activist organizations, and others about how to structure the inquiry.

In response to the death, a volunteer group known as Drag the Red was formed. They have begun to regularly drag portions of the Red River, in order to find bodies or evidence.[21] Additionally, a local Inuit woman, Holly Jarrett, has started social media campaigns: the #AmINext hashtag and a Change.org petition in response to Fontaine's death. The hashtag campaign called for a national inquiry and allowed Indigenous women to express their feelings about the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.[22]

The Strong Hearted Buffalo Women Crisis Stabilization Unit, a semi-secure crisis intervention program for Indigenous girls considered at risk of sexual exploitation, was created in the fall of 2015 in response to Fontaine's case.[7] The Ndinawe agency also received funding to open 24/7 safe space for youth, which was launched in November 2018 as "Tina's Safe Haven".[7] Fontaine was buried on Sagkeeng First Nation next to her father. A memorial was placed at the site on the first anniversary of the discovery of her body at the Red River.[23]

On 28 February 2018, the Justice for our Stolen Children Camp was set up on Wascana Park in Regina in response to the death of Tina Fontaine and Colten Boushie.[24] In March 2018, political activist Indygo Arscott held a rally outside Toronto City Hall to voice outrage in memory of Fontaine due to Cormier being found not guilty of the crime.[25][26] In March 2019, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth Daphne Penrose released a report documenting Fontaine's life and the shortcomings of the agencies that were meant to protect her.[7]

Raymond Joseph Cormier was charged with Fontaine's murder in December 2015.[13][27] The trial began 29 January 2018.[28] Raymond Cormier pled not guilty to second degree murder charges.[29] The government did not introduce any forensic evidence or eyewitnesses directly linking Cormier to Tina's death.[30] At the time of the trial, the cause of death remained undetermined. Cormier's lawyers argued that without a determination on the cause of death, it cannot be known for certain that Tina died as a result of an unlawful act, and Cormier should be acquitted "on that [argument] alone". He was found not guilty on 22 February 2018.[5]

• List of solved missing persons cases

• BBC Assignment: Canada's Red River Murders