[1] Born in 1946 in Portland, Oregon, Wilson grew up on a family farm.
The family settled in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, where her father bought a farm.
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.
In 1998, she was elected to the Coquitlam City Council, and in 2005 won a close race for mayoralty against incumbent mayor Jon Kingsbury.