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 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for that answer. However, guidance counsellors' positions in my riding, and in Mr. Nadli's riding, are being taken out and we're bringing in the child and youth mental health workers. So we're taking those positions out of the schools because those are the ones that I guess I'm seeing the Minister and Deputy Minister is saying it's not true. Could they please explain to me, then, if those positions still exist in the Deh Cho? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I spoke about some of the challenges in my riding for carbon taxes and green gas and energy and that. My questions are to the Minister of Infrastructure.

My first question: has the government considered expanding the Taltson hydro dam system, and are they looking at expanding that to the Nahendeh riding as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I did promise not to do anything in the other section. Now I'm back on this section, so I do have some questions in this area. I guess the first one to start with is, I tried to ask the question previously in another section, but this is where it is, it's about the Skills 4 Success Territorial Support Team, and we talk about this being a new initiative, and I applaud the department for doing something like this. So we're bringing six positions; three for the north, three for the south. Three in Inuvik and three in Yellowknife. However, I guess my first question is: why...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Not really, Mr. Chair. Okay. I'm not talking about SFA; I'm talking about Senior Subsidy, the Senior Home Heating Subsidy Program. I'm talking about elders who have to look after their family. I'm talking about elders who, if they don't work, can't do that. The Minister talked about SFA, how great it is. Yes, when the student actually applies for it, yes, they do that, but it's still not helpful for the child to go there because, if he doesn't have a summer job, our SFA does not actually help as well as we want it to. So that was where my issue was, but I'm going to have to probably come from...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My personal opinion is that is the direction that I feel it is going. Postsecondary is accreditation to develop a university. Aurora College is actually by itself, so they are not going to interlink. Maybe I am mistaken about that, but I do have one other question on here.

In regard to the budget, labour market agreement for persons with disabilities, there is no money in there presently. Can the Minister explain why? Is it sunsetted, or is it a federal program, or is there a reason for that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess the concern I'm hearing, especially for some of the smaller communities, is, as I said, the expenses for this family are here, and they make too much money, but if they didn't do it, the kid can't go off to school, they can't provide food on the table, and that. So would the Minister be willing to get the department to look at this? At least look at it and see, as he talks about case-by-case situations, if they could look at that and give some discretion to their front-line workers in this area? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the Minister for that commitment. I guess my concern is that I am looking at the college and the things that the college is doing right now. Don't get me wrong; they are doing a good job in a number of areas there. However, if we remove the Teachers Education Program and we remove the Social Work Program, we are only going to have the Nursing Program left, if it offers a degree or a diploma in that. Can the Minister verify that I am mistaken, or is that the direction that the college is going? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for those answers. He kind of answered some of the questions that I had on my paper here. I apologize if there is a letter that we may or may not have received. I am not saying you did not send it. It is just somewhere out there, and I have not seen it. I am not blaming anybody. I guess my big concern, and I hear this all the time, is with the Senior Home Heating Subsidy and the thresholds and that. I realize that the department is looking at that, but how can we talk to the people in the smaller communities when an individual has to work so he can...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess it concerns me that we are voting on the appropriation today and we are not going to get it until later on.

I guess the next question is: if the Minister is going to be talking to the college, can he get us what other programs the college has reviewed in regard to their programs and when they have done those reviews? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. So could he direct us where the money is being allocated? Because right now, they have Northern Youth Abroad, but there's no money on that line there, but I am assuming that it's in one of these other program areas. Could he just direct us to what area, what line that is in? Thank you, Mr. Chair.