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.
Doctors first witnesses of the day
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 inquest into the death of Nicole Lafontaine entered its second day at the Royal Hotel in Regina Tuesday. The 31-year-old had been staying at the YWCA for approximately one week when she died in summer 2023. (Vashisth Trivedi/CBC)
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.
Staff give differing accounts
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.
"The window was open, the room was empty, then I looked on the ground, and Nicole was on the ground," Finlayson said. She also said the roommate was not in the room with her.
Finlayson said that once she spotted Lafontaine face-down on the ground outside, she yelled at her coworkers to get her a phone so she could call 911. Finlayson testified that by the time she overcame a little of her shock and went downstairs, the police had arrived.
Finlayson told those at the inquest Tuesday that she had no training concerning psychosis, nor were there written protocols by the YWCA on what to do if a resident is experiencing psychosis.
In the afternoon, the jury heard from two more YWCA staff members on duty the night Lafontaine died. Testimony about the details around how many times Lafontaine was checked on, when 911 was called, or who saw Lafontaine first after she fell to the ground differed.
One staff member said the YWCA needs more resources and multiple health-care providers like nurses on site going forward. Two staff members testified that the YWCA did not offer them time off or counselling specific to the incident after Lafontaine died.
At the inquest on Tuesday, a forensic pathologist testified that it is the opinion of doctors involved in the autopsy that Nicole Lafontaine died of multiple blunt force injuries. (Heidi Atter/CBC)
Senior director at YWCA testifies
Cora Gajari, senior director of women's housing at YWCA Regina, testified last on Tuesday. Valerie asked Gajari why her daughter was not told to leave the building when she was caught using fentanyl a week before her death, according to YWCA policy.
Gajari said that was outdated policy and that the organization would rather monitor the women who are caught using than put them back on the streets.
Valerie said there should be more follow-up and monitoring. Gajari said staff checked on Lafontaine more often after she was caught. According to the senior director, seven women have died at the YWCA in the last four and a half years. Most of the deaths were drug poisonings. She recommends that extra staff be hired at the YWCA to deal with people in psychosis.
She said Lafontaine wasn't showing signs of harming herself or being at risk of hurting others prior to her death. Gajari said Lafontaine didn't display complicated behaviour, as many other residents do.
Rob Ritter is serving as the coroner's counsel, while Dan LeBlanc is serving as counsel for the YWCA.
Six people -- four women and two men -- were selected on Monday to serve as a jury. The jurors will be asked to establish who died, when and where. They are also tasked with determining the medical cause and manner of death. They may also make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
Sixteen witnesses total are expected to be called as part of the inquest, which is scheduled to run until Thursday.