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

Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Extension
11128
Constituency Office

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

Phone

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 57)

Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talk about the disparity between different regions here. I talk about the Sahtu has five communities or four communities. Is it four? Five, five communities, sorry, and four staff. In my riding, we have eight communities, including the Deh Cho riding, and we only have two staff. Can the Minister explain: if all education bodies have provided funding on an equitable basis, why are there different staffing levels at different divisional education and culture?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 57)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I noticed that the divisional education board office has two fewer staff supporting the schools than in the Sahtu. In the Deh Cho proper, eight communities, we have two support staff for nine schools, whereas the Sahtu has four support staff for five schools. It is my understanding that the Sahtu board has two IT support staff, while the Deh Cho has one. This doesn't seem right. We need to address this, or we are going to see more vulnerable children in ongoing decline in the EDI and MDI results for the Deh Cho. It is my position that the base funding based...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 56)

Mr. Speaker, we heard from my constituents that sometimes these companies down south are having concerns about what happens should a vehicle fall through. Can the Minister advise us: does the GNWT have insurance should a vehicle, whether it is going across or is on a flatbed, fall through ice? Do we have insurance to cover that?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have some of the most unique ways to travel across the Northwest Territories. Depending on where you live, you can travel by air, water, trails, roads, or combined of winter roads and ice bridges. People from across the world are amazed at how we transport ourselves across this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I have been asked questions from our constituents about our transportation infrastructure and the challenges they have been facing with the roadside assistance program. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure: can the Minister confirm if the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for his answers. I have one more question. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that four or five years ago, and I'm not exactly sure of the time frame, the Minister of Transportation and the Premier had to write a letter to these companies explaining the Mackenzie Valley Highway was a winter road and maintained by the GNWT. Will the Minister be willing to send a similar letter to these manufacturers who provide roadside assistance to clarify the use of ice bridges?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 56)

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister confirm if the department has a system in place to guarantee that the ice bridges are safe to travel?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 56)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke about the Aboriginal Sports Circle in the Northwest Territories awards program and how they recognize and give credit to exceptional community members in the NWT sports system. They recognize individuals who have continuously shown dedication, hard work, made significant contributions, and made a positive difference in their respective communities across the NWT. Mr. Speaker, the Nahendeh region had two winners. Yesterday, I spoke of Jonathan Tsetso. Today, I will speak about the other award winner from the Nahendeh region.

During the 2018...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 55)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I greatly appreciate the Minister and the department willing to work with the community. It's great to hear, and as always a little bit of work for these small communities has a huge impact on them. The Minister talked about equipment and that, so will the Minister be willing, or his staff, to meet with leadership, discuss this issue, and tell them what they need to do and maybe work with them to see if there is excess equipment out there available for them to take that on so they can continue to work on this bridge?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 55)

I greatly appreciate the Minister for that answer in explaining that the community gets it going, but my understanding is that the government takes over. Can the Minister explain: does the GNWT staff, after this road has been built, does their staff look after it afterwards?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 55)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the NWT Awards Program is to recognize and give credit to exceptional community members in the NWT sport system. The individuals who have continually shown dedication and hard work and have made significant contributions will be honoured for the positive difference that they are making in their respective communities.

A yearly awards dinner is being held to celebrate the awards recipients' involvement in a number of categories. One of those categories is coaching.

The award is presented to an individual who demonstrates the...