Inquest into death of Nicole Lafontaine hears from YWCA staff about moments before and after incident

It's been over a year since a 31-year-old woman fell to her death from the window of a Regina YWCA building. On Tuesday, the inquest into Nicole Lafontaine's death entered its second day at the Royal Hotel in Regina.

Lafontaine, 31, had been staying at the YWCA in Regina for approximately one week when she died on July 22, 2023. She fell five storeys out of a window in her room. EMS was dispatched just before 3 a.m. CST.

The young woman was known to have been battling addiction and mental health issues prior to her death.

Coroner Aaron Fox told the jury Monday that Lafontaine was staying at the YWCA as part of an agreement between the organization and the Ministry of Social Services. That deal provides shelter services to women experiencing homelessness.

Fox told the jury that an autopsy had detected trace amounts of a variety of drugs in Lafontaine's system.

The second day of the inquest began with witness Dr. James Holden, who was present at the hospital when Lafontaine arrived after her fall. She died in hospital from her injuries a short time after.

During the inquest, Holden was asked about the drugs Lafontaine was taking, the psychosis she was in, and her state when she arrived at the hospital. He said that even if she had been brought to the hospital earlier, she wouldn't have survived.

The 31-year-old's mother, Valerie Lafontaine, said at the inquest that her daughter had confided before her death that she had overdosed more than 35 times. Valerie asked Holden whether that could have had an effect on Lafontaine's brain and led to psychosis. The doctor said yes, and explained that a large number of overdoses could lead to changes in the chemistry in neural pathways.

The second witness, forensic pathologist Dr. Andreea Nistor, testified that it is the opinion of doctors involved in the autopsy that Lafontaine died of multiple blunt force injuries.

YWCA staff member Serine Finlayson testified that she was working the night Lafontaine died. The witness said Lafontaine's roommate alerted staff that the 31-year-old was trying to jump out of the window.

On Monday, the roommate testified that she attempted to stop Lafontaine, but was unsuccessful. The roommate also said that she had attempted to use the buzzer to alert YWCA staff that something was wrong, but that it did not work.

Instead, she was forced to run up the stairs and physically alert staff, she said. The roommate testified that when she returned to her room with a YWCA staff member, the worker looked outside and commented that she could not see anyone below. 

On Tuesday, Finlayson's account of that incident differed from the roommate's.  

The staff member, who was working on the sixth floor of the YWCA at Isabel Johnson Centre —  which houses and supports women fleeing domestic violence — went down to the fifth floor to Lafontaine's room. That floor is occupied by My Aunt's Place, which functions as a temporary shelter for single women and families who are experiencing homelessness.