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 2)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd just like to clarify. With these double hull barges they're sitting in this fund and they're supposed to be moved to a revolving fund over 10 years, is this correct? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 2)

Thank you to the Minister. An article from CBC Saskatoon about a study by Public Safety Canada tested two testing devices at seven detachments, including Yellowknife. Has the Minister or the department received this report, and has he been able to tell us what the results were with those two devices?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

I again thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my concern is small communities that do not have staffing there, and that is something that we need to look into. Mr. Speaker, having a database upon which ministry program outcomes could be monitored would give us a better idea of what kind of programs are working for our residents. Does the Department of Health and Social Services currently have one in place? If it does not, does the department intend to look into implementing one?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my Member's statement I talked about mental illness and suicides in my region. My questions are to follow up to the Minister of Health and Social Services. Has there been any outreach to education institutions specializing in Health and Social Services programs for recommendations or potential training for healthcare professionals and residents of the GNWT aside from what we do presently? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In light of increased incidents of suicide in my riding, I would like to take the opportunity to address the importance of mental health awareness.

Mr. Speaker, in my riding and throughout the NWT, we have some amazing counsellors in our health systems and have beneficial services for those affected by mental health or mental illness, but what is evidently lacking is awareness in the communities. In my riding, between the months of January and September, there have been six suicides and at least 34 attempted suicides that I am aware of. Six suicides in 10 months is...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess my concern, though, is: we are still not dealing with it. We have small communities that have this issue. I have been listening to people. They basically would like to see some dental therapists in the smaller communities, like Fort Providence, Fort Liard, some of these smaller communities, to give these residents from zero to 20 years old the opportunity to get this treatment. Will the Minister look at the smaller communities, at training the staff and getting people in these places? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

It looks like the Minister had all my questions here and was able to answer them all. The answer to the question on how many communities are out there: basically, we have five communities that don't have dental therapists in place. Is the government seriously looking at trying to fill these vacant positions, and if they are, how are they looking at doing this?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker, and I again thank the Minister for his answer. Mr. Speaker, what measures are being taken to ensure that programs delivered by Health and Social Services in all communities are done correctly and adhere to all policies and procedures?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my concern is regarding the mental health and mental wellness of our individuals, and I have to applaud the department and the staff who are there helping us. However, is the department looking at mental health resources like telepsychology and looking into for remote, small communities? Right now we do not have staff in there, so are we able to be looking at some of these options?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 1)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The committee agrees with a number of recommendations made by the CEO for the sake of efficiency and clarity of processes. These include such matters as voting compartments, materials, multi-district polling officers, multi-district ballots, advance polls by community, and various others.

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that the Elections and Plebiscites Act be amended in accord with Recommendations 2, 10, 13, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, and 38 in the CEO Report on the Administration of the 2015 Territorial General Election.

Mr...