Born in Kitimat as the sixth of seven siblings, Ellis grew up in Kitamaat Village. Ellis had
several regional jobs as a young man including survey work for Fisheries and Oceans,
operating a charter operation, and running a hand logging and salvage log beach combing
business with family members.
Wanting to serve and improve his community, Ellis become the Haisla Nation Council's first
full-time councillor in 2003. He was directly involved in negotiating and signing the
agreement with Chevron’s Kitimat LNG in 2006 for an LNG facility on the Douglas Channel.
He was then elected Haisla Nation's Chief Councillor in 2011. Ellis led the Haisla team that
negotiated the historic LNG Canada agreement, paving the way for positive generational
opportunities for the Haisla Nation and British Columbia while setting the table for the
Haisla Nation majority-owned, Cedar LNG Project in partnership with Pembina Pipeline
Corporation.
Ellis was inducted into the Order of British Columbia in 2014.
Ellis was elected as the MLA for Skeena in the 2017 provincial election, taking what had
been a rock solid NDP seat.
Upon election, Premier Christy Clark appointed Ellis as the Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing. In Opposition,
Ellis has served as critic for Natural Gas and Petroleum Resources. Ellis won re-election in
2020 and was named opposition critic for Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Ellis recently announced that he will not be seeking re-election to the provincial legislature. Ellis is speaking out about the vital role smart economic development can play in ensuring that Canada’s indigenous people have a brighter future.
Ellis and Tracey live and work in the Terrace area and have two wonderful daughters.
