'It can’t continue to happen': Tina Fontaine remembered on anniversary of her death

Family, friends and the community are honouring the memory of Tina Fontaine Thursday, marking nine years since the 15-year-old died.

Family, friends and the community are honouring the memory of Tina Fontaine Thursday, marking nine years since the 15-year-old died.

It’s believed Fontaine died on or around Aug. 10, 2014, and a week later, her body – wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down rocks – was recovered from the Red River at the Alexander Docks.

“I remember seeing my sister’s face all over the news. I was too young to know she was missing,” said Elroy Fontaine, Tina’s brother.

Elroy remembers his sister as a kind person who was fun to be around.

“We used to bead together,” he said, noting they would sit, have snacks and just hang out.

“Every system had failed her and they have failed many, many other people in care.”

Since her death, Elroy has become an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. He feels it is important to share his loss with others.