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 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do have a couple more to follow up on that. With the North Slave, the additional measurements there, have you looked at increasing staff for that facility? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for that, and I look forward to seeing that information as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my first question is: can the Minister explain what he means by modest and minor? Is it similar to when he talked about the increase to land fees in going to 10 percent? Can he explain what he means by minor or modest? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is great to hear because we are moving forward. My question previously, the year before, I asked about engagement with the community because a part of the success of Guthrie House is the involvement of the community. What has the department done to get the community's buy-in, and are we able to do similar stuff that Guthrie House is able to do, or do we have to look at moving them once they complete the program? To get into housing, they maybe have to come to Yellowknife. Has the department looked at that and moved forward on that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As part of that cost analysis, can the department, when they look at this, see if there is the feasibility of finding office space for the clinic to be there as part of the investigation? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you. I greatly appreciate that it is operational. I apologize for implying that it was delayed. Well, actually, I did say it was delayed, so it is great to hear that it is operational. When are we looking at implementing the new upgrade? When is that going to be done? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have been to Guthrie House, saw it firsthand, and saw how it worked really well. It is a positive model. I guess my question is: you talked about your facilities, you know, staff buy-in, but what is your schedule for planning? What have you done to set up planning for the training so that, when it is actually running, the staff are ready to go? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the Minister's answer. I understand that, in 2014, we had a thriving law practice in Hay River, and then we had a lawyer in Fort Smith at that time, who has now gone on to a different career. Again, though, it is about the ability to provide legal services to the residents of the South Slave, which encompasses a lot of the communities. Can the Minister look at a cost analysis of this and get back to committee on this? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the answer. So my understanding, if correct, is we are not going to see it during this Assembly, but it's going to be introduced or activated in the 19th Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 58)

Again, I thank the Minister. She talked about wood heat. In my riding, small communities use wood heat. They use that and they use fuel subsidy. These elders are in, you know, older ages. Again, when we did these changes, why weren't the communities, like we talk about the seniors, but why weren't the political bodies asked then question? Like DFN and those political bodies.