The longest serving mayor in B.C.鈥檚 history has died.
Alice Maitland was 91 years old.
Maitland was first elected to Hazelton council in 1965, served as a councillor until 1970 and become mayor in 1976. She held that position for 42 years.
She was born in the hospital in Hazelton in June 1933, although it wasn鈥檛 the same hospital that stands now on Highway 62. While she did have to leave the area for part of high school and college, she has always called Hazelton her home.
Maitland has previously said she was mayor for so long because no one else wanted the job. But she got a lot done in her 42 years at the helm.
In 2023, she told Black Press Media her biggest accomplishment in office, besides just keeping the town alive, was getting the village paved.
鈥淚 can remember other people saying to me, like other ministers and other mayors, you even got your garbage area paved,鈥� she recalled with a chuckle.
Former Stikine MLA Doug Donaldson, who confirmed the news of her passing on Feb. 26, said she was an incredible advocate for the community and was so good at putting a tiny village, with a population of around 300, on the map.
According to FCM (the Federation of Canadian Municipalities), she was also a pioneer when it came to combining politics and environmental causes, fighting alongside the Gitxsan nation against unfair forestry practices, often joining them in blockading to protect their land and communities.
In 2016, she received a lifetime achievement award at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities in Victoria for her 40 years as mayor.
In 2018, she lost the election. Maitland was defeated by Dennis Sterritt, the housing and infrastructure advisor for the Gitxsan Government Commission. The vote total was 76-45 for the new mayor-elect.
At the time, she said she wasn鈥檛 surprised by the results and she felt it was time for the next generation to take the reins.
In 2020, Maitland was awarded the Ann MacLean Award for Outstanding Service by a Woman in Municipal Politics because she served as a champion of women in politics and has had a significant influence on women in the north participating in local government.
Her daughter, Julie Maitland is currently the mayor of Hazelton.
Local politicians took to social media after hearing the new. Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach wrote that Alice was a beautiful soul and will be deeply missed.
Smithers Mayor Gladys Atrill called her commitment to her community, to the region, to supporting women in government is her legacy (along with of course, her family). "I will remember Alice for her grace, her generosity, her willingness to share insight, information and to be so encouraging. Alice was never afraid to speak truth to power, she was a role model. And of course she had an amazing smile and lovely sense of humour," she continued.
The District of New Hazelton posted that she was a fierce warrior who fought for the rights of the Hazelton communities and was dedicated to the people who live here. "A strong advocate for women in local government, she proved that you can be anything you want to be if you believe in yourself and surround yourself kindness," the post stated.
