Shane Thompson

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

Board of Management
Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
867-767-9141
Extension
11128
Constituency Office

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

Phone
867-695-3780

Statements in Debates

Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

I empathize with the Member. Yes, I was up there 72 times asking for it, and yes, I found the answers unacceptable. However, as soon as I became the Minister, I directed the department to complete the regulations to move forward. Just so the Member understands, I also was asking questions, written questions, and bringing forth to the Minister about the challenges when we had residential leases and get that changed. For 31 times, I asked them that, and we were able to reduce that fee. I understand the Member asking the question and not being happy with it, but sometimes when we get answers...

Member's Statement on Eulogy for Mary Louise Norwegian
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mary Louise Norwegian of Rabbit Skin River was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Augier Norwegian, March 8, 1938. She was very close to her dad, who taught her everything traditional and how to survive in the wilderness. She was the second-youngest of her siblings. She had four sisters and five brothers.

Her favourite times of the year were spring and fall. In the springtime, she would trap beaver, catch fish, and collect birch sap for syrup. In the later summer, she would travel up to her cabin on the Horn Plateau, where she would hunt moose and caribou, fish, and pick...

Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

The letters being sent out to leaseholders are a legal document and should not have the tone, and we apologize if people see there is a tone to it. What we encourage the Member to do is to get her constituents to reach out to our regional office and to have the conversation with our regional staff so they can better understand what we are trying to do.

Question 349-19(2): Land Leases
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have committed previously in this House to the Member and others, is that I have made a commitment within the next three years to have the public land regulations in place. We are still on stride right now. We have two and a half years left in that commitment, and we are trying to get it done in that timeframe or sooner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Motion 12-19(2): Revocation of Appointment to the Executive Council, Carried
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 35)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to try to get straight to the point. We have heard everybody speak. The significance of revoking a Minister's portfolio and asking to have them removed from Cabinet is not something that is taken lightly.

I recognize the public wants to know why and what is happening. I can't and will not speak about what is happening in meetings in confidence and conversations. That is between Cabinet and our colleague and Caucuses and my meetings with the Minister on related issues.

The Premier has taken this very seriously and has worked with the Minister to repeatedly...

Question 341-19(2): Bathurst Caribou Herd Management
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 32)

Again, some of the challenges that we are dealing with COVID. ENR was unable to secure a research firm from Nunavut to proceed the planning calving grounds survey of the Bathurst and Bluenose East herds. The survey will be rescheduled for June 2021, which will be three years since the last survey, which is within our time frame that we do the survey. Other herd monitoring programs are able to continue, including composition surveys, monitoring radio-collared caribou, and other target research. Given the very low size of the Bathurst heard, ENR and its co-management partners are currently doing...

Question 341-19(2): Bathurst Caribou Herd Management
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 32)

This was a very disturbing result that we had seen this past winter. I am actually going to take a bit of time to read out the whole response here, because I think that it's very important that the public hears and understands what we are doing.

ENR actively monitored the Bathurst caribou management zone, or mobile zone, throughout the winter 2019-2020 harvest season. The monitoring includes checkpoints at McKay Lake and Gordon Lake and regular ground and aerial patrols. Given an increase in harvesting on the winter road, ENR increased its presence and monitoring activities.

In late March...

Member's Statement on Congratulations to Nahendeh High School Graduates
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. COVID-19 has thrown us a curve in our celebrations of the class of 2020 graduation in Nahendeh. I have been informed that these graduation ceremonies have been postponed to allow the celebration plans to be approved by the Chief Public Health Officer. I look forward to being part of those celebrations later on in the year. However, the DEAs and school staff and community members have placed signage in the streets, set up a Web page, developed family photos, given out cooler packages, and a number of other opportunities to celebrate with our successful graduates.

In...

Question 341-19(2): Bathurst Caribou Herd Management
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 32)

The collaborative development of the Bathurst caribou range plan provides guidance on activities to support the range of the Bathurst caribou herd, including mobile protective measures. ENR has developed a draft framework for implementing the mobile caribou conservation measures on the range of the Bathurst herd. This framework will provide a pilot project that has been done this year to test the approach and procedures for implementing mobile measures. A possible industry partner has been identified to work with ENR to pilot the mobile measures within the late summer and fall range of the...

Question 341-19(2): Bathurst Caribou Herd Management
Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 32)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ENR and the Tlicho government submitted a proposal for a joint wolf management program to help support the recovery of the Bathurst and Bluenose East herds. The Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board supported a pilot project this winter, and field work wrapped up in mid-May. While we face a number of challenges related to COVID and bad weather, we were able to complete a range of actions to support caribou recovery.

Mr. Speaker, these actions include training and incentives for wolf harvesters as part of the traditional economy, putting out 11 satellite collars to monitor...