Maxine Wilson is the former mayor of

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipa ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Born in 1946 in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, Wilson grew up on a family farm. In 1959, Wilson moved to Canada with her parents and sister. The family settled in

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

, British Columbia, where her father bought a farm. From 1969 to 1975, she worked as an elementary school teacher. She joined the first formal Parent Advisory Council (PAC) in Coquitlam, and in 1988 took part in the last Sullivan Royal Commission on Education. In the same year, Wilson founded the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils and became a school trustee. Her position on the School District 43 school board lasted ten years, four in which she chaired. In 1998, she was elected to the

Coquitlam City Council The Coquitlam City Council is the governing body for the City of Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. The council consists of the mayor and eight councillors. The councillors are councilors-at-large elected for the entire city. Municipal election ...

, and in 2005 won a close race for mayoralty against incumbent mayor Jon Kingsbury. She lost the 2008 race to

Richard Stewart Richard Stewart (born 1959) is the mayor for the city of Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was elected to Coquitlam City Council in 2005, and became mayor in 2008. Personal life He was married in 1983 to Anna Rosa, they have four children. Stewa ...

.Coquitlam has a new mayor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Maxine American expatriates in Canada Coquitlam city councillors Women mayors of places in British Columbia Politicians from Portland, Oregon People from Dawson Creek Living people 1946 births Mayors of places in British Columbia