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

Shane Thompson
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 , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)

Yes.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 39)

Good afternoon, Colleagues. Rose Betthale-Reid was born at Macahish Lake, also known as Sandy Lake, on May 25th, 1954, to William and Germainie Betthale. With great sadness, she passed away on January 9th, 2025. For those who knew this lady, she wore many hats. Some would describe her as someone who fought for those less fortunate. Others, she was an interpreter that helped elders. Others, she was the person that would get on the stage to sing or make people laugh even if it was at her own expense. She loved it and didn't care.

I got to know her just before I became an MLA; however, I heard...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Good afternoon, Colleagues. I am going to advise you this is going to be a very difficult Celebration of Life to do.

Avery Julianna Burke was born on May 4th, 2018, at the BC Women's Hospital to Maureen Deneron and Preston Burke. She was the third youngest of four siblings. She spent her first two years of her life in Fort Nelson, BC, before moving to Sambaa K'e with her grandmother, Bertha Deneron.

Avery loved being with her grandmother. She was a great help to her grandmother. She loved helping do dishes, folding clothes, all the while singing away to the various songs. Her favorite music was...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 38)

Please be seated. Good afternoon. Colleagues, welcome back to the House. It is great to be back and that was a great way to open our sitting.

I'd like to thank Ryan Gordon for his wonderful bagpiping today. That's not something we get to enjoy every day. I'd also like to thank elder Jonas Lafferty for his opening blessing. Please join me in thanking them for the wonderful start to this sitting.

I'm also pleased to welcome our pages to the chamber. Our youth are our future, and we are fortunate to have them with us. This week we will have pages from Yellowknife and next week we will also be...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 37)

Colleagues, last session, I spoke about a startup Basketball Program in Fort Liard. Today, I would like to add to the story.

Corbin Wilson is a 17-year-old Fort Liard student who was selected to play on the Basketball NWT team that travelled to the Nationals tournament held in Toronto in August. This is quite an accomplishment for Corbin who started to play basketball regularly less than a year ago. He was one of a group of boys who began playing on the Fort Liard outside court and with one hoop back in the summer of 2023. The boys evolved into the Fort Liard Warriors, Fort Liard's first...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 37)

Please be seated. I'd like to thank Marc Casaway for doing the blessing today.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 36)

Colleagues, a resident of Fort Simpson, David Berman, has a family heirloom being donated to the children of Liidli Kue Elementary School. David's mother, Carole Berman, purchased a 1974 Yamaha grand piano nearly 45 years ago. She always enjoyed playing the piano and recounting that her and her four sisters studied music from a very young age in Winnipeg, as her parents believed that creative arts were just as important as academics.

As she matured and started a family of her own, she purchased her prized possession and began teaching piano. This gave her a chance to earn a little money while...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 36)

Thank you. Please be seated. I'd like to thank Joe Otokiak for doing the opening prayer.

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 35)

Colleagues, approximately 25 years ago, the Seven Spruce Golf Club decided that they should come up with a four-person best ball tournament. After thinking about this idea, the executive asked two members to reach out to various businesses in the community and surrounding areas. One of the businesses they reached out to, was the owner of Kingland. He directed them to speak to the parts manager, and since that meeting the partnership has grown. It started out being called the Seven Spruce Four Person Best Ball Tournament, sponsored by Kingland Ford, then it was changed to the Kingland Ford Four...

Debates of , 20th Assembly, 1st Session (day 35)

I'd like to thank Mary Jane Cazon for the blessing today.