At the age of twenty-nine he ran for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1981 provincial election as a Progressive Conservative candidate in Beaches—Woodbine, and lost to New Democrat Marion Bryden by a very small margin of 324 votes.
On his first day as a member of Council his colleagues elected him Chair of the City Services (Works) Committee and he was instrumental in the effort to close the Commissioners Street Incinerator.
Christie helped manage the introduction of the blue box and subjected the Ashbridge's Bay Main Treatment Plant to a full environmental assessment.
Christie sought election to the newly amalgamated City of Toronto Council in November 1997, and was narrowly defeated by Tom Jakobek and Sandra Bussin in the two-member ward.
[1] He then became the chief executive of the Ontario Charity Gaming Operators' Association which achieved approvals for several small casinos.
The provincial government argued that Christie's appointment was necessary, as the TDSB had not submitted a budget to the Ontario Minister of Education as legally required.
Representatives of the TDSB claimed that they could not find the necessary operating expenses for the year, given provincial regulations which prohibited deficit spending.
He also served as a director of Grey Island Systems International Inc., (and its subsidiary, NextBus) a GPS services company (TSX V: GIS).
Subsequent to the acquisition of Grey Island by Webtech Wireless Inc. (TSX: WEW), Christie joined the board of that company.