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 , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

I keep hearing concerns about this ratio of 6:1, and some of the concerns they have is people who, you know, take medication and they have to be close to the washroom, and they don't seem to have washrooms available. Does the boarding home take this into account when they assign patients' beds?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answers from the Minister. I am looking forward to, hopefully, him sharing who that new person is so that we can then share it with our constituents out there who have those concerns. I guess my last question in regard to this here is: will the Minister have his staff reach out to patients for the past six months to see what their concerns are and how they can be addressed in the future, so that we provide a better service for our residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

I have heard a number of concerns from my constituents, most recently about not being able to shower because there are no towels in there. First of all, is the department aware of this situation, and do they tell the patients who are coming there what type of toiletry items they need to bring in?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Long-term care facilities provide an essential and critical service to our elders population, along with society as a whole. Long-term care facilities, very much like the elders' home in Fort Simpson, provide our elders with 24-hour professional care in terms of their physical, mental, emotional, social, and often psychological needs. Many of our elders require 24-hour care, much of which the family is unable to provide. Consequently, making the decision to place loved ones in long-term facility is never an easy one.

When an elder moves from their place of residence to a...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am just going to read a summary from the Dehcho First Nation, which is five of the communities that I represent. It is summarizing. This was a letter sent to Minister McLeod on January 18, 2019.

"DFN does not support the introduction of the draft Forest Act bill as provided to us on December 20, 2018. The draft legislation as discussed with the technical working group meeting on January 9, 2018, is not consistent with the provisions of the Dehcho IMA, and does not address DFN's substantive concerns about the potential adverse impact of this legislation on Dehcho rights...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Some of the other concerns I heard were regarding the food. Does the department inspect the food on a regular basis?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier during this question and answer period I had questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the boarding home. I've been advised that the ratio for beds to washrooms is 6:1 in the boarding home. Is this ratio to code? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

I have heard a number of concerns from residents about staying at the boarding home. They tried to follow a process of bringing their concerns to staff and management, and nothing seems to change. How does the department investigate the concerns brought to them? Do they actually do an investigation or rely on the contractor to give them feedback?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Previously in other sittings I have had questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the boarding home in Yellowknife. Can the Minister advise the House: is that contract renewed every year, annually, or is it an RFP process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I support this motion; however, I am a little concerned that it reports to the Committee on Government Operations instead of the Standing Committee of Social Development. Social development is the committee that will end up with this document after the Auditor General's report, and direction will come to social development. That is my concern with it. It can be cc'd to the Standing Committee on Government Operations, but it should go to standing committee. Thank you, Mr. Chair.