The Gwaii Trust board met Nov. 18 and 19 to make decisions about applications to its Culture as it Relates to Tourism program, Haida Parity program, Healthy Humans program, Legacy program, Major Contributions and Special Initiatives in Education program. The trust had budgeted over $1.8-million to award to applications to these programs during this intake period. The deadline for applications was Oct. 15. The board usually meets soon after the application deadline but this time around its work was delayed by the unexpected resignation of administrator Tanu Lusignan. Chair Ken Rea said the board had so many applications to deal with that members decided to table decisions on the Major Contributions program until early December. The Major Contributions program has $950,000 to award. Mr. Rea said the society started a process of hiring a new administrator immediately after Mr. Lusignan resigned. The board has been contacting hiring firms and professional recruiters, and right now is waiting for some information about a company which Northern Savings Credit Union recently used. In the meantime, office work is being handled by longtime administrative assistant Shirley Jones, with Mr. Rea and other board members pitching in when possible. The society has also faced challenges with Mr. Lusignan's computer crashing, leaving some files unavailable, said Sandspit representative and executive committee member Warren Foster. The Gwaii Trust's annual general meeting, usually held in December, will be delayed. That meeting is now scheduled for Jan. 19 in Tlell, Mr. Rea said. The Gwaii Trust is a multi-million dollar trust fund which was set up in 1994 to bring social and economic benefits to the islands. The fund is run by a board of eight islanders representing the communities of Haida Gwaii, plus a chair appointed by the Council of the Haida Nation.