North America Women and Urban SDGs: An Urban Paradigm Shift Towards Gender Equality

Urban Thinkers Campus (The City We Need NOW!)

Maja Tait

Mayor of Sooke, British Columbia, Canada

Maja Tait was first elected to Sooke Council in 2008 and served two consecutive terms on Council before being elected as Mayor in 2014 and again in 2018.


Maja was raised in the hamlet of Bragg Creek, Alberta and lived in both Japan and Calgary before moving to Vancouver Island in 1997. Attracted to Sooke’s natural setting and community spirit, Maja moved to Sooke with her husband Alex in 2006. In 2015, while serving as Mayor, Maja and Alex welcomed their first child, a son they named Ewan.


While serving in office, Maja has been honored to represent the interests of Sooke residents on various panels throughout the region and the province, including:


  • Sooke Region Primary Health Care Services Working Group – Chair
  • Sooke Community Health Planning Steering Committee & Western Communities Primary Care Network Steering Committee
  • Union of BC Municipalities: Currently serving as Past President – Chair of both Convention and Resolutions Committee. Maja was elected to the Board as 3rd VP in 2016 and has served on numerous committees since then. She was fortunate to represent UBCM on two international missions to Cambodia (focus on supporting and attracting more women to local government).
  • Local Government Leadership Academy – Vice President
  • FCM – Federation of Canadian Municipalities – Past Board and Committee member (2018-2020)
  • CRD: Capital Regional District Board, Hospital Board & Housing Corp – Director, Sooke & Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Commission (SEAPARC), Finance and Governance Committee, Parks & Environment Committee and First Nations Relations Committee – Chair
  • Victoria Regional Transit Commission

Maja retired from her career in property management to focus on her family and community in 2019. Maja has been a dedicated community volunteer her entire life and served with organizations like Girl Guides of Canada, the Craigdarroch Castle Museum Society, and the Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre. Maja, also a former Toastmaster, completed the Leadership Victoria program in 2006 and was awarded the prestigious Alumni Award in 2015.


Maja’s international heritage has taken her abroad to places like India, Europe, and Singapore and she looks forward to further travel when restrictions ease. Weekends will find her enjoying quiet moments in her garden and exploring the area with her family.

Share by: