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

Board of Management
Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Email
Email
Phone
867-767-9130
Extension
12005
Constituency Office

9706-100th Street
Fort Simpson NT X0E 0N0
Canada

Phone
867-695-3780

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 80)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two constituents of mine, Kristen Tanche and, of course, my daughter Jenny Thompson, who are both part of the social work program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 80)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I, too, would like to thank the Minister and his staff for making presentations to us during committee meetings and to answer some questions. I am going to talk about a few things about what is not in here, but what needs to be in here.

We talked about junior kindergarten and upgrades, especially the playground fencing on the work sites. I understand that the department has developed a priority with washrooms and that. However, we are talking about safety. We are talking about young kids, and if they have access to these other playgrounds, the potential situation of I...

Question 876-18(2): Small Community Employment Support Program
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 80)

I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess my next question to the Minister is: are we going to allow Yellowknife to apply for small community employment funds?

Question 856-18(2): Student Financial Assistance for Upgrading
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

I thank the Minister for that answer. That is great to hear, that there are other opportunities for students out there besides Student Financial Assistance. Throughout the years, I have heard that students can attend Aurora College and take upgrading courses and be eligible for SFA. Can the Minister explain how this is possible? Is it an access program, or is it upgrading just specifically through the Aurora College?

Question 856-18(2): Student Financial Assistance for Upgrading
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about Student Financial Assistance. I would like to follow up with some questions with the Minister here today. I have heard from various students throughout the years that they were not as successful in high school as they should have been. As they start looking at their future, they realize they need to upgrade their marks, and they start looking for institutions that offer this type of program and funding. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please advise us: are students eligible...

Question 856-18(2): Student Financial Assistance for Upgrading
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that clarification. That is very helpful. I have witnessed some of the challenges for the students first-hand and have been very fortunate that my constituent assistant has been well-versed in this area and has been able to move mountains to help the youth in some of these other funding programs out there, but it has been challenging. Will the Minister have his department look into feasibility to have Student Financial Assistance available to students who need to upgrade and wish to do it at a southern institution? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 856-18(2): Student Financial Assistance for Upgrading
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

I thank the Minister for that answer. We will work with them on that. I am familiar, basically, in that you have to take 60 per cent of a work load to get that. I thank the Minister for that. Mr. Speaker, if the department is not able to fund students to upgrade, what funding programs are available for students to upgrade, and how is this information shared with the students?

Member’s Statement on Eulogy for Peter B. Shaw
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 79)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been a long week of doing eulogies, and today it will continue. Today, I would like to speak about a beloved member of the community of Fort Simpson who passed away late last week. Peter B. Shaw moved to Fort Simpson in the 1980s. Before moving to Fort Simpson, Peter had travelled the world. After his arrival to town, he called Fort Simpson home, and hardly travelled outside very much.

Some of Peter's most memorable commitments to the community included the Santa Claus Parade, the Memorial Day Poppy Sale, and Memorial Day Celebration as part of the...

Question 842-18(2): Student Financial Assistance Travel Provisions
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that answer. What I will be doing with these answers is I will actually be putting them in my newsletter and sharing them with the communities out there so that people are better informed. I am not saying that they are not informed from the staff out there, because they are doing a good job, but just sometimes communications get lost in the woodwork.

In looking at students' travel, is the department staff given some flexibility to work with students to help them get down to their chosen school as long as it's within the budget log? In other words...

Question 842-18(2): Student Financial Assistance Travel Provisions
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 78)

I thank the Minister for his answer. I do have to agree that SFA is one of the best ones in the world. I was lucky enough to be part of it, as I went to school down south. However, there are some concerns, and there are still some challenges for parents and students to understand this. My next question is: can the Minister explain how the travel is calculated for students outside the regional centres, i.e., some of my small communities?