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

Committee Report 10-18(2): Report on the Review of Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, and commends it to the House.

Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, proposes to enshrine the Junior Kindergarten Program in the territorial "education program" and to regulate entitlements of access for junior kindergarten students, who could be as young as three and eight months. The bill also proposes to reduce the mandatory minimum for school instructional hours.

The Standing Committee on Social Development has...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Standing Committee on Social Development conducted public hearings on Bill 18 on April 6th in Yellowknife, on April 10th in Inuvik, and April 12th in Hay River. A clause-by-clause hearing was held on May 25th on the bill and was subsequently amended and reprinted. Members may have additional comments, or we may proceed with the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Question 780-18(2): Disposal of Surplus Housing Construction Materials
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

I thank the Minister for her answer, and I understand her concerns. However, we are talking about people in their own homes, who need these potential materials to help them with other stuff or fixing up later on, renovations. Can the Minister advise this House if this issue was brought up during the survey that was just recently done?

Question 780-18(2): Disposal of Surplus Housing Construction Materials
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 72)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during my visit back home, I had the opportunity to talk to a number of residents, and they had some concerns. Mr. Speaker, as more and more housing situations occur, I have been more perplexed on why things happen with the Housing Corporation. Just recently, I was informed the contractors have the first right of refusal to the extra material for housing contracts. This does not seem right, since the clients have to pay some sort of cost for these projects. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation please...

Question 779-18(2): Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

The Minister is right. He has asked me to get that information to him, and I will get that information to him. I guess the next question for the Minister: what kind of work has the department been doing to train other departments in working to help address this challenging issue?

Question 779-18(2): Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I was talking about mental health and mental illness, and I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister please tell us what kind of training front-line workers are doing besides Mental Health First Aid? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 770-18(2): Homecare and Mental Health Services
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

This is great news and I must publicly thank the Minister for sharing this information here today. I was very concerned during the budget process, and now I'm happier to hear this good news. I have to recognize the hard work that the department and Minister have done to this date. Can the Minister advise if this good news e-mail can be shared with the public?

Member's Statement on Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the past four months, we've witnessed five tragedies that have deeply saddened the families, friends, our communities, and myself. Unfortunately, these types of tragedies happen across the world daily. I know it's very difficult to talk about, but it needs to be spoken about here today. Mr. Speaker, mental illness has long been misunderstood and unfairly judged. We need to strive to break this stigma. Mental illnesses are not a choice. They often make life difficult for those who suffer from them, as well as their family and friends. When looking at this...

Question 779-18(2): Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I, too, have taken the Mental Health First Aid training, but also have taken Strengthen Children's Mental Health as well, and basically, what I am looking at is: can the Minister make a commitment to work with his colleagues, the other Ministers, to have the front-line staff get some training out there? Because we are having lots of tragedies out there. We are seeing a lot of losses of lives, and it is really disappointing. Will the Minister work with the Minister of MACA and the Minister of ECE to get the front-line workers out...

Question 779-18(2): Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 71)

I thank the Minister for that answer. I guess we are seeing too many tragedies out here in this world, especially in all of our ridings. As we move forward, will the Minister look at other alternatives such as the strengthening mental health for children offered through NWTRP as an opportunity for front-line workers to be using that course?