Member Nahendeh

Speaker

Shane Thompson was re-elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly after serving in the 18th and 19th Assemblies representing the constituency of Nahendeh. Mr. Thompson is the Honorable Speaker of the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Thompson was first elected to the 18th Assembly in November 2015 and served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development. Mr. Thompson was also a member of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, and the Striking Committee.

Mr. Thompson was born on July 11, 1963, in Hay River. He has lived in Kugluktuk (Coppermine), Inuvik, Hay River, and in Edmonton, while at the University of Alberta. Fort Simpson has been his home since 1992.

Mr. Thompson previously served two terms (three years each) as an elected official with the Fort Simpson District Education Authority, spending the last four years as the chairperson. Over the past 35 years, he has served on various community and territorial boards.

Mr. Thompson was employed as the Senior Sport and Recreation Coordinator with Municipal and Community Affairs (GNWT) in the Deh Cho region before being elected as a Member.

Mr. Thompson completed the Community Recreation Leaders Program at Arctic College in 1989 and is currently working on a Masters Certificate on Evaluation at the University of Victoria and Carleton University. He also completed three years towards an Education degree at the University of Alberta.

Mr. Thompson is an active volunteer with Northern Youth Aboard, CBET and Fundamental Movement, and HIGH FIVE®. As well, he is a past member of the Sport North Federation Board, NWT Softball and of NWTRPA, and the past president of Seven Spruce Golf Course.

Mr. Thompson is the father of seven children - five daughters and two sons – and has nine grandchildren.

He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1991.

Nahendeh Electoral District

Committees

Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Constituency Office

9706-100th Street
Fort Simpson NT X0E 0N0
Canada

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's not a bad movie. We're trying to actually move forward. So I keep on saying we're moving forward, and we're making progress. So a dispute mechanism is when we're not get moving forward. It may be not at the speed that the Member wants or I would want but we have a process in place that involves the GNWT, the Government of Canada, and Indigenous governments working together trying to get it resolved. And the challenge that we've seen right now is Section 35. We've seen some hiccups. Now we're trying to deal with that. And like I said previously, the federal...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's kind of a twoset question there. So I'm going to try to do the first one and maybe answer the second one there.

So the first part is the Department of Lands is working with the Tlicho Government and the Government of Canada to establish a land use planning process for Wek'èezhìi. Terms of reference for the planning process is completed but is not yet approved due to issues related that were raised through the government as part of our Section 35 process.

The Department of Lands is working with the Government of Canada, Indigenous governments to determine a path...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, May 7th, residents in Jean Marie were watching the river rise as Chief and Council initiated their Local Emergency. At 6:30 p.m., the first siren sounded advising the residents to start moving to higher ground. As residents rushed home to finish packing up the necessaries and getting ready to leave their home, the second siren sounded. This happened very quickly, and residents witnessed the water steadily climb and flow over the road that leads out of town.

In speaking with some residents afterwards, they said it was very scary because they did...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't talk about the past. That's gone. What I can tell you about right now is the Government of Canada, the Tlicho Government, and the Government of Northwest Territories are working together. We're talking about facetoface, bringing a facilitator. So if they're willing to do that and our Indigenous governments are willing to do this process, why do we as the Government of Northwest Territories need to bring in the dispute mechanism? We don't need to do that unless it's our last resort. So right now, the Government of the Canada, the Tlicho Government, and the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 76)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Member's commitment in looking at the same movie over and over again. But if it's a good movie, you want to watch it again and again. And so we want to get you know, see new things, moving on, and we can do that.

So we are moving forward. I have to say that. It's government, and we're looking at three different levels of government, and it takes a long time to get all three parties working together here.

To date, there has been a productive dialog with the GNWT, the Government of Canada, and the Indigenous government. And so we're working with them...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the follow document entitled, Environmental Rights Act Annual Report 20202021. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the recent floods have been devastating for many Northerners who have experienced damage to their communities, property, and their livelihoods. I witnessed the anxiety and stress in the voices and faces of people in my own community as water levels rose and homes and businesses were threatened and many were affected.

In the face of this adversity, I also saw firsthand how communities, leaders, Northerners can rise to meet challenges they must overcome. I am very proud of how our communities have met this challenge.

I am very thankful to local leaders like...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 75)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, please be advised this will be the first of five Members' statements I will be doing about the flood situation in the Nahendeh. I can only speak about my experience and what I saw. Please note, there were a lot of moving parts, and I could not see them all.

As people are aware, both communities were in charge. They were the ones that declared the state of local emergency and are working with the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Federal Government, including MP McLeod. From what I have witnessed and been part of, it is sometimes hourly contacts...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Multiple land users are being considered for the GNWT arsenic soil quality guidelines, and this work is in the process of being finalized. The Giant Mine remediation project has approved a closure and remediation plans by the MacKenzie Valley Land and Water Board.

The criteria used by the projects were not solely based on the GNWT guidelines; they are site specific criteria for the Giant Mine that are confirmed through the human health and ecology risk assessment.

ENR has also led the development of the human health risk assessment for legacy...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for that question. I'm happy to tell the House the department is currently reviewing the 2003 environmental guidelines for contaminated sites remediation. This work is being done with new information on remediation criteria from the Canada Council of Ministers of the Environment as well a new data that has come on arsenic in the Yellowknife area.

ENR recognizes that the 2003 guidelines is dated, and the updating environmental guidance is standard practice as new data and scientific research is available. This work is nearly completed...