True Crime Collection

Tina Fontaine

Tina Michelle Fontaine was born 1st January 1999. Tina's case is considered among the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women of Canada. 

Tina was raised by her great aunt for most of her life, beginning around 5 years old. They lived on the Sagkeeng First Nation, 121 km northeast Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

Her father, Eugene, was beaten to death in 2011. His two assailants received manslaughter convictions. Tina'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." Despite being eligible she did not received grief counselling following her father's death, and began struggling in school and running away from home. In July 2014 she went to Winnipeg to visit her mother, and was subsequently apprehended in Winnipeg by Manitoba Child and Family Services. 

Tina was reported missing to Winnipeg Police Service on 31st July, 2014. Her aunt, Lana, later said that Tina had stayed with her during the August long weekend (August 1st-3rd). On 5th August, Tina telephoned her CFS worker and was subsequently picked up by members of CFS and Winnipeg Police Service. What happened to Tina between 5th August and 8th August is unclear, but she remained a missing youth. She presented at a youth shelter in the early morning hours of 8th August, but left shortly thereafter. At 5:15am on 8th August, 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. The two constables were suspended for their actions and left the police force. 

At 10am, 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. She was reported missing again on 9th August. 

At around 1:30pm on 17th 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 Tina the following day. Police believe she had died on or around 10th August. 

A young woman who claimed to have been with Tina 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 Tina between 10 and 11pm on 7th August, they went to eat at the Macdonald Youth Services emergency shelter at around 2:30am. Believing Tina was drunk, Katrina requested the shelter staff keep her overnight, but Tina refused to stay, and refused to give her name. After seeing her get into the truck and the encounter with the police, Katrina lost contact with Tina until around 8pm, after Tina left the hotel where she was staying. At around 3am the following morning, the two young women were approached on Ellice Avenue by a man who offered Tina money to perform a sex act. She accepted and left with the man. Katrina followed them but lost sight of the two in the dark. 

Raymond Joseph Cormier was charged with Tina's murder in December 2015. The trial began 29th January, 2018. Raymond Cormier pled not guilty to second degree murder charges. The government did not introduce any forensic evidence or eyewitnesses directly linking Raymond to Tina's death. At the time of the trial, the cause of death remained undetermined. Raymond'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 Raymond should be acquitted "on that alone". He was found not guilty on 22nd February, 2018.

In response to Tina'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." 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, activists organisations, 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. Additionally, a local Inuit woman, Holly Jarrett, has started social media campaigns: the #AmINext hashtag and a Change.org petition in response to Tina'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.

The Strong Hearted Buffalo Women Crisis Stabilisation 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 Tina's case. 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". Tina 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. 

On 28th 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. In March 2018, political activists Indygo Arscott held a rally outside Toronto City Hall to voice outrage in memory of Tina due to Raymond being not guilty of the crime. In March 2019, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth Daphne Penrose released a report documenting Tina's life and the shortcomings of the agencies that were meant to protect her.