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 74)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mary Neyelle was March 22nd, 1934, at traditional Dene Camp at Fish Lake near Wrigley, Northwest Territories. She passed away on March 30th, 2021.

Mary was 86 years old. Mary and her late husband, Edward, had nine children together. They adopted Camille later in their lives. She had 16 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Mary had unconditional love for all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

She was caring, passionate, loving, goodspirited, patient, great teacher, and an outstanding person and had a beautiful soul.

Mary...

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...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of our translators here, Mary Jane Cazon, from Fort Simpson. She does a great job, and I thank her very much for being here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Dylan Gabriel Boniface Cazon was a young man who blessed us with his kind spirit, generous heart, and his infectious smile. He was born on January 26, 1993, to loving parents, Gilbert and Mary Jane Cazon, and was the brother of Bianca, Shannon, and Chantel. He was known to his nieces and nephews as "Uncle Pickles." Dylan shared his birthday with his late cousin, Daniel Allaire Jr.

Dylan took pride in his family, whom he loved dearly, and cherished the friendships that he gained during his life. Dylan was a hunter, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, and...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 641-19(2): Hunters and Trappers Disaster Compensation." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Water Stewardship Strategy, guided by the Aboriginal Steering Committee, represents a shared path forward for water stewardship and preservation with NWT residents and water partners. Water partners such as Indigenous, federal, and territorial governments; non-government organizations; research institutions and universities; regulatory boards; communities; and industry work together under the strategy, to ensure our water remains clean and safe for future generations.

The success of the water strategy is based on four main areas that require concentrated efforts...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the important work of Dr. David Schindler, who was an influential contributor to the NWT water policies. On March 4th, Dr. Schindler passed away at the age of 80. He was the leading Canadian water scientist who was instrumental in building our underlying knowledge of the effects that acid rain, climate change, long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants, and oil sands have on Canadian lakes and rivers. Dr. Schindler had a keen respect for the NWT. In a 2015 Globe and Mail article he wrote that "the water sources of the Northwest...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 70)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Caribou have sustained generations of Northerners across the Northwest Territories. They are deeply tied to the NWT's society and culture. Communities have always relied on them for food, hides, and traditional practices, but today, some herds have seen major declines. They continue to face challenges, including climate change, habitat change, predators, and human activity. Illegal and disrespectful hunting practices are also real concerns.

Our government continues to work with Indigenous governments and organizations, and other co-management partners, to put rules in...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

ENR will finalize the framework by this summer. A draft framework has provided guidance to a pilot project that was done in collaboration with our industry partner, Aurora Geosciences. Because of COVID, we had to do a desktop exercise. The outcome of the project was the need for an operational guidance document, and we are working on developing that with Aurora Geosciences. We plan to test this operational document this summer.