Sheena Merling, the credible backbone of Gizaagi’in Healing, a youth-focused Indigenous healing organization initiated in 2022, has recently found herself at the eye of a storm. Accusations are flying, denouncing her of mismanaging government funds, an assertion Merling is vigorously contesting.
The allegations raised their heads last week when the board of directors aired a formal statement. Undeterred, Merling staunchly counters, “My unwavering standpoint here is to recount my narrative, basically implying the reported claims are deficient in substantiating evidence.”
In 2022, Merling demonstrated leadership by propelling the establishment of an “Every Child Matters” crosswalk in Victoria Park, which fortified her resolve to institute her own organization.
Navigating the crucibles of doubt with, “Am I enough?”, she landed on her belief in the healing cause, emboldening her strides towards leveraging grants from Upstream Funding, endorsed by the Region of Waterloo. The subsequent approval of a significant $145,000 funding, which fortified the community healing journey, one she felt was more than a dream, was something tangible.
False steps in the journey became apparent when Merling, standing alone, found the funding relegated to her personal account, which she countered with swift action to build an administrative fortress, recruiting Amada Trites as the executive director and a formidable board of directors.
In an unfortunate divergence of opinion, the collective vision clashed with that of Trites, leading to his disengagement as executive director. Consequently, this event sparked a turbulent era for the organization.
The current Board of Directors, comprising President Corey Powers Trites, mother of the former director, along with Clinton Jameson and Myeengun Henry, made public allegations against Merling. Allegations arising, detailed missing movements of funds and audits, spurred accusations, disbanding the board, and legal concerns. Unwavering, the board terminated Merling’s employment.
Playing her defense, Merling repudiates these accusations, stating, “I positioned my trust in someone and regretfully that association did not transpire as anticipated.” She iterated her commitment and trust in the journey and the involved stakeholders blindly, only to be betrayed and ousted unceremoniously. She asserts that the allocated funding has indeed been utilized responsibly for programming and administrative resources.
When pressed for showcasing an account for money transferred, both Merling, and the Region of Waterloo tactfully refrained from divulging specifics.
Last week, the Waterloo Regional Police Service stated that an official complaint was yet to be lodged in the ongoing controversy. Certainly, the local community will be carefully monitoring the events of this sensitive situation as it continues to unfold.
