Court sides with Guardians Network in $6.2-million civil suit

By Claire McFarlane, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cabin Radio A Manitoba judge has ordered a former employee of the First Nations National Guardians Network to repay more than $6.2 million to the organization, funds which it says were misappropriated. In March, the non-profit launched a civil lawsuit against Melanie Desjarlais, the organization’s former director of finance, claiming she used funds earmarked for Indigenous Guardians programs for personal transactions, including flights, tickets to hockey games and purchases on Tiktok, PayPal and Apple.