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, 2nd Session (day 45)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, it saddens me again to stand in this House and speak about another loss in my riding. Unfortunately, on December 20, 2016, Eugene Villeneuve passed away. Eugene was 56 years old when he passed.

I had the opportunity to meet Eugene about a month after moving to Fort Simpson in August of 1992. He was always friendly and willing to share and discuss issues of the day. I am fortunate to say he worked with my son and was always willing to give him a helping hand and advice as he grew up through his teenage years.

Eugene was the eighth of the nine children born to...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a previous session I asked the Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs about the youth position in the Nahendeh and when it was going to be filled. I was told it would be filled in January. I was assuming it was this January. Well, Mr. Speaker, the time has come and today nothing has happened in my riding. It's been over 15 months, so, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise the status of the youth positions across north? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for her answer. I worked in the field for 23 years. I understand the importance of the crossover. We did a lot of crossover, so I understand that and I understand the importance of it. I still struggle with why you're changing job descriptions from a youth officer and a sport and recreation one and making it combined to one.

I guess my next question is: Why is the government looking at it? Is this going to be a potential cut? Because now we're going to have two people in the region doing the same, similar, job, same job description, is...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

I'd like to thank the Minister for her answer. I already knew there was three, one in Yellowknife, one in North Slave and one in Inuvik region, but there's three other positions that have not been filled and for the most part it's been 15 months. So it's been over a year for some of these, two of them I know of for sure. Can the Minister provide a rationale on why this department has not filled these positions to this date?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it saddens me to inform this House that Joe Punch passed away on December 7, 2016, at the longterm care unit in Fort Simpson. As most people who are aware of Mr. Punch, he was a father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, and a friend to all that knew him.

I had the pleasure to get to meet Joe on my first trip to Sambaa K’e in the fall of 1992. Upon landing at the airport, Joe met the plane, and we had a good conversation as we walked towards the community office. From that moment, I realized he was a great storyteller and a historian of the area. Each...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 44)

I'd like to thank the Minister for her answer. It's unfortunate it's taken 15 months to do a job description that hasn't even been classified yet on what the pay is going to be.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding the department is changing these job descriptions, of both the youth and the sport and recreation position, and combining it to one sort of, kind of, a job description collectively. So what is the rationale behind this change?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of days ago I was asking the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions about medical travel, and I'd like to follow up with a couple of questions that I didn't get to ask that day. With the different authorities, with Hay River and Behchoko or Tlicho, does the medical travel policy still apply to that community, the ones that the department has developed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

I thank the Minister for her answer. Can the Minister please explain why it only seems that the recommendations for nongovernmental organizations are being affected by this implementation?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs tabled a report, and it was done by The Sutcliffe Group. In looking at this report, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise how this organization or company was selected to do this report? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 43)

I thank the Minister for the answer. He kind of answered the question. What I was asking, though, was: is that policy, the medical travel policy developed by the Department of Health and Social Services, applicable across the territories? I think the Minister answered the question, saying it does.

So my second question, and maybe he can answer this one. I shouldn't say can, I know he can. In regard to non-medical escorts, when people move from a small community to a larger centre, sometimes they lose that support system. So what is the process to allow people to get non-medical travel that are...