Winnipeg effort to drag Red River for bodies gains momentum

An effort to drag the Red River for bodies gained momentum Sunday at a gathering at the Alexander Docks, the site where 15-year-old Tina Fontaine's body was pulled from the river in August.

Around 100 people came together and a pipe ceremony and feast was held to bless the initiative.

Twenty-four people have nowjoined agroup of seven boats that plans to drag the Red River starting this week.

• Group plans to drag Winnipeg's Red River for bodies

• Relatives who raised Tina Fontaine visit Alexander Docks for 1st time

Percy Ningewance made the trip from Ontario. He has experience dragging for bodies in his own community.

Ningewance said he knows searching a river as big as the Red River will be a challenge, but he's helping train people to do the work regardless.

We've got a lot of people here that are ready to go, said Ningewance. We are also going to be having what we call teams that are going to be on the shoreline.

Sheenah Fontaine was at Sunday's ceremony.Her sister-in-law, Amber Guiboche, went missing in 2010.

[The]last conversation that I had with her she had no children, she wanted a family, she wanted a baby, She wanted life like everyone else," said. Fontaine.

It's really hard thinking of where she is, how she is,if she's alive. It really hurts the heart. It affects your brain, your thoughts.

Sheenah said she supports the search.

It's a step closer to answers," said Fontaine. "You never know what you could find in this Red River, if it's not Amberwe find, it could be somebody else.

The group wants to head out on boats and comb the river bed with chains and hooks to find other bodies or clues that might shed light on cases involving missing people.

Thepush to search the river came from Bernadette Smith after Fontaines body was found.

Smith has been searching for her sister, Claudette Osborne. since she went missing in 2008.

Smith said the group will be staying in contact with police to let them know where they are searching.

A trial run was done Saturday, and while Smith said more volunteers are needed, she expects they will be ready to carry on with plansto start the search this week.

It's kind of a double-edged sword, said Smith. You are kind of hoping that you don't find anything, but, on the other hand, you are hoping you can bring some family answers.