Tina Fontaine's family receives racist hate mail

Tina Fontaine'sgreat aunt got a beautiful card this week adorned with trees, a fence and flowers but she was shocked by the letter inside.

A handwritten letter tells Tina Fontaine's great aunt, "You guys are nothing but a bunch of drunken Indians." The letter alsosays the15 year oldwas "following in her father's footsteps, drinking beer, passing out in back alleys."

"At first I was hurt by it. But after awhile I said, like you know, I'm not going to pay attention to things like this. I'm not going to stoop to their level. I know Tina and I knew Eugene. And that's all that matters," Favel said, adding the letter arrived on Wednesday.

Favel is Fontaine's great-aunt and looked after the teen since she was a toddler. Fontaine'sbody was pulled from the Red River in August. Her still unsolved murder renewed the call for a National Inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous Women. The community held numerous vigils and ralliesin her memory.

Tina'sfather, EugeneFontaine, was beaten to death on Sagkeeng First Nationin 2011.Two men pleaded guilty to manslaughter in October 2014.

Tina Fontaine'sdeath was recently highlighted in a national magazine that titled Winnipeg as the most racist city in Canada. Favel says she's not sure if that's why she's received this letter now. There is a post mark on the envelope but Favel is unable to tell if the letter came from Winnipeg. But Favel says she's focusing on the letters of support she's received since Tina's death.

"I've got hundreds of them and those are the ones that mean the world to me, the cards of prayer. Right from Nova Scotia to BC, right across Canada."