About Emily

Kelowna Mayoral Candidate 2026

Emily Salsbury is a builder, strategist, and operator with more than 25 years of experience driving growth across businesses, institutions, and cities.

She began her career in 1999, working alongside multinational retailers, national brands, shopping centres, and investment groups, helping them expand, evolve, and perform at scale.

By the age of 30, Emily was appointed Executive Director at the University of Alberta, leading both the Centre for Retailing and the Centre for Real Estate in a PhD level role.

Her work has since spanned economic development, strategic advisory, and large scale planning across Canada, supporting cities, airports, and tourism sectors in building stronger, more sustainable local economies.

Emily has also built and operated her own ventures, including a seven figure clothing brand, EMMYDEVEAUX, giving her firsthand experience in leadership, risk, and execution. She understands what it takes not just to plan, but to deliver.

She is not a career politician. She is someone who has spent her life building across sectors, across communities, and through complexity.

Now based in Kelowna, Emily made the move 4 years ago and doubled down in the fall of 2025 by relocating her entire company to the city. She is rooted in Pandosy Village, where her home, office, and store exist within a single block, giving her a daily, lived connection to the community.

Emily is focused on what’s next. A city that prioritizes safety, transparency, responsible development, and long term infrastructure while creating real opportunity for the next generation.

She’s not chasing a title. She’s building a future.