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.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.