Élie is a former refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who fled the Second Congo War in 1998, and has called Canada home ever since. His family has settled in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh for the last fifteen years.
Élie’s involvement with public policy began at McGill University, where he studied Labour Relations Management, and served on the SSMU Legislative Council, as the Finance Director of the Black Students’ Network, and as President of the Management Undergraduate Society. Élie is serving his second term on the City of Burnaby’s Social Planning Committee, where he has pushed Burnaby City Council to proclaim the U.N. International Decade for People of African Descent, adopt a Climate Action Plan, and form an Anti-Racism Sub-Committee.
Élie is a passionate advocate of racial equity, community engagement, and transportation. Élie loves engaging with new projects and ideas that allow him to learn more about his community and how to meet their needs.