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 57)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So we're in our last year, but have we approached the federal government and asked if we're going to be expanding this? Because we haven't seen a lot of results right now, and people are looking forward to or hoping that we can continue this, so have you reached out to the federal Minister and asked if they will be expanding this for future years? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Since it is a multi-departmental approach, how is the work being done incorporating community partners and the other stakeholders? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is this program a federally-funded program, or is this actually being funded by the territorial government? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, I know it is a pilot project, and I have heard from the deputy minister and the Minister about potential expansion plans. Can the Minister share whether we are starting to do the planning now, or are we waiting until when this pilot project is completed? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my first question is about the integrated case management pilot. Has the department improved coordination between the program and NGOs presently? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for her answers to this point here. I guess my concern, though, is, when we talk about our divisional boards, when we only have two staff, we are going to burn those people out. They are going to be working really hard, and, you know, when you've got eight schools, it is very difficult for two people. They always going to be on the road, so it is a concern. When we don't even have the proper IT staff, you know, that is a concern.

Will the Minister make a commitment to do a cross-jurisdictional review of the funding formula?

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 57)

Thank you. Could the Minister elaborate if there has been a positive reception from the federal government in this area? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's my understanding that it's the final year for federal funding for the Family Information Liaison Unit, so can the Minister please elaborate on where we are with this work? Thank you, Mr. Chair.