Tina Fontaine

Tina Michelle Fontaine (1 January 1999 – ) was a First Nations teenage girl who was reported missing and died in August 2014. Her case is considered among the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) of Canada, and her death renewed calls by activists for the government to conduct a national inquiry into the issue.

In December 2015, a suspect was charged with second-degree murder in Fontaine's case. However, no forensic evidence or eyewitnesses directly linking him to her death was presented, and the cause of her death was never established. The accused was acquitted by a jury in February 2018.

The case of Tina Fontaine prompted the Canadian government to commit to creating an independent national inquiry to look into MMIWG.

Fontaine was buried next to her family in Sagkeeng First Nation, 121 km (75 mi) northeast of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Background Fontaine's paternal grandfather was a residential school survivor, and his experiences as a child led to years of severe alcoholism and violence. At the age of 12, her father, Eugene Fontaine, left his home in Sagkeeng First Nation to move to Winnipeg, where he fended for himself on the streets. In Winnipeg, he developed an addiction to alcohol.

Fontaine's mother, Valentina (Tina) Duck, was raised in Bloodvein First Nation, north of Winnipeg. Starting at the age of six, Duck was removed from and returned to her mother several times by Child and Family Services (CFS). Duck experienced a number of significant traumas as a young child, which the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) said in a 2019 report "were not appropriately addressed." At the age of 10, Duck 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. MACY says little was done to intervene and protect her. Despite being eligible, Fontaine did not receive grief counselling following her father's death. In a 2019 report, MACY noted that CFS was clearly aware that she was struggling in the period between her father's death and her own. Records from the time document that Fontaine was increasingly absent from school; missed assignments; had been suspended from school; got into verbal confrontations and physical fights that resulted in the police being called; received medical treatment for self-harm; and had been reported missing three times. During this period, her family repeatedly asked for help from CFS.

Disappearances and discovery In early 2014, at the age of 15, Tina Fontaine went to Winnipeg to visit her mother. By that time, Duck had lost custody of her children as a result of her involvement in sex work and her struggle with alcoholism. Her aunt Lana later said that Fontaine had stayed with her during the August long weekend (1–3 August). The two constables were suspended for their actions and left the police force.

At 10 am, she was found passed out in an alleyway near the University of Winnipeg. Katrina said she believed Fontaine was drunk, and requested the shelter staff keep her overnight, but that Fontaine refused to stay and refused to give her name.

At around 1:30 pm on 17 August, a body was found wrapped in plastic and a duvet cover and weighed down with rocks in the Red River. The body was identified as that of Fontaine's the following day. Police believe she had died on or around 10 August. An autopsy was unable to conclusively determine a cause of death. He pleaded not guilty. A witness testified that the last time that he saw Fontaine, she was arguing with Cormier because he had sold her bicycle frame for drugs. The largely circumstantial case relied on the suspect's statements that were secretly recorded during a police sting operation. Cormier's lawyers argued that, without a determination on the cause of death, it could not be known for certain that she died as a result of an unlawful act, and that Cormier should be acquitted "on that [argument] alone." Cormier was found not guilty on 22 February 2018. With the change in government, in December 2015, 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.

Also 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 to find bodies or evidence in missing persons or homicide cases. Tina's death also led to the creation of the Bear Clan Patrol, which promotes safety and crime prevention in Winnipeg's North End.

Manitoba's Child and Family Services (CFS) announced that, as of 1 June 2015, it would no longer place children in hotels. The next month, 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. In March 2019, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth's Daphne Penrose released a report documenting Fontaine's life and the shortcomings of the agencies that were meant to protect her.