When Elroy Fontaine thinks about his older sister, Tina Fontaine, his mind takes him to a park in Winnipeg鈥檚 Point Douglas neighbourhood.

It鈥檚 where the two would sometimes hang out together.

A decade after the tragic death of the 15-year-old girl, one that shocked the country and was the catalyst for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, Elroy Fontaine still stops by the special spot.

The siblings spent time in provincial care but would see each other during scheduled visits that included Slurpee runs and park hangs.

鈥淪he would sometimes take me out away from the visits 鈥� she let me play at the park,鈥� said the 18-year-old.

鈥淭ina would be very protective and motherly.鈥�

Saturday marks the 10-year anniversary of the day it鈥檚 believed the girl from Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation died.

Elroy Fontaine plans to honour the day by hosting a candlelight vigil where Tina鈥檚 body was discovered.

The girl had disappeared into the streets of Winnipeg, before her small, weighted-down body wrapped in plastic and a duvet cover was pulled from the Red River on Aug. 17, 2014.

Tina was raised by a great-aunt for much of her life but had been living in a Winnipeg hotel under the care of child and family services. She was reported missing a week before her body was found.

The following year, police charged a man with second-degree murder in her death. A jury found Raymond Cormier not guilty in 2018.

Tina鈥檚 death marked a turning point in how society treated and viewed missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Advocates and family members, who had long been calling for political action to address staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls, raised their voices even louder and demanded change.

鈥淲hen my sister became a poster child and there were rallies and it became national, I think it opened a lot of people鈥檚 eyes,鈥� said Elroy Fontaine.

鈥淚t鈥檚 sad it had to take someone鈥檚 life for people to realize.鈥�

Shortly after Tina鈥檚 body was discovered, a huge crowd marched through Winnipeg鈥檚 downtown demanding justice.

Manitoba鈥檚 advocate for children and youth, Sherry Gott, remembers the day clearly. She was a social worker at the time.

鈥淭he walk was truly so quiet, and yet there were hundreds of people there. I was shocked like everyone else and outraged.鈥�

In the days, weeks and months that followed, there was change on different levels.

Public pressure forced the province to stop using hotels as placements for youth in care.

The Indigenous-led safety group Bear Clan Patrol re-emerged to canvass Winnipeg streets for missing Indigenous people.

The federal Liberal government, under newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, committed to a national inquiry. It published its final report in 2019, including 231 calls for justice.

Some advocates say Tina鈥檚 death brought more awareness but they still see children and youth being sexually exploited.

The advocate鈥檚 office completed an investigation into the services Tina received and issued recommendations for provincial bodies. While some have been completed, the challenges seem to persist.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not seeing real change on the ground at the systemic level,鈥� said Gott.

Advocates say Winnipeg is still considered ground zero for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, while Indigenous children and youth continue to be disproportionately represented in the child welfare system.

Over the last year, Gott鈥檚 office has seen three young people who were sexually exploited die from drug poisoning. This further underscores the need for the provincial government to develop a co-ordinated response for mental health, addictions and abuse, she said.

鈥淭hey need to show moral courage and make this a priority and respond to the kids that are falling through the cracks.鈥�

Shanlee Scott says she sees it every day.

Scott is executive director of the resource centre Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad, which operates Tina鈥檚 Safe Haven, named after Tina Fontaine.

The drop-in centre works with youth who have no place to stay, no way to access mental health supports or health care and have been deprived of cultural connections.

The organization partners with therapy groups and Indigenous health providers to address the gaps in care.

鈥淭ina鈥檚 (Safe Haven) isn鈥檛 enough 鈥� Tina鈥檚 is serving an immediate need. It is not a long-term solution,鈥� said Scott.

Gott said she鈥檇 like to see a third-party review of Tracia鈥檚 Trust, the province鈥檚 sexual exploitation strategy launched in 2008, and for the government to release a plan on how it aims to address the national inquiry鈥檚 calls for justice.

Cabinet ministers Bernadette Smith and Nahanni Fontaine, who are Indigenous, addressed the anniversary earlier this week, saying the NDP government is committed to adhering to the recommendations from the national inquiry and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

They pointed to the government鈥檚 Matriarch Circle to assist in the work and a grant program in partnership with the Winnipeg Foundation to support families of the missing and murdered.

鈥淲e all have a responsibility. It鈥檚 not just governments. It鈥檚 not just police. It鈥檚 a society issue,鈥� said Smith, whose sister Claudette Osborne-Tyo disappeared in 2008.

The ministers said the government plans to release its strategy on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people this fall.

Meanwhile, Elroy Fontaine finds solace in knowing his sister鈥檚 legacy lives on.

鈥淚t helps a lot to know that there鈥檚 still supporters 鈥� she鈥檚 not forgotten.鈥�

鈥� With files from Steve Lambert

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press