Maxine Wilson is the former mayor of Coquitlam, British Columbia. Born in 1946 in Portland, Oregon, Wilson grew up on a family farm. In 1959, Wilson moved to Canada with her parents and sister. The family settled in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, where her father bought a farm. In 1998, she was elected to the Coquitlam City Council, and in 2005 won a close race for mayoralty against incumbent mayor Jon Kingsbury. She lost the 2008 race to Richard Stewart.