A Little Girl Lost: How the Canadian Child Welfare and Justice Systems Failed Tina Fontaine
The tragic story of a young Aboriginal girl who fell through the cracks of a fractured system
Tina Fontaine was a young aboriginal girl from Winnipeg, Manitoba. At 15-years-old, her body was found in the Red River. She was brutalized, wrapped in plastic, and weighed down by rocks.
How did Tina, a young, beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her end up in that river?
This case gained attention from child advocates nationwide. Through Tina’s unnecessary death, we learned how tragic the results can be when care workers and law enforcement fail to follow protocol.
A Troubled Beginning
To say Tina Fontaine had a rough start to life would be an understatement.
Her aunt Thelma Favel, who cared for Tina was quoted as saying that Tina’s family was “doomed from the beginning”.
Tina’s mother Valentina Duck, began abusing drugs and running away from home at a very early age. She was placed in foster care and it was allegedly known by her caseworkers that she was being sexually exploited throughout her young life in these care homes. in relation to the alleged abuse, legal…
