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Teresa May, candidate for Kelowna City Council

A new chapter

Teresa has joined
VIBE Okanagan

Through the campaign, the best part was never the politics. It was sitting down with people and hearing what they had built, what they were up against, and why they stayed. More than a thousand conversations later, that is the part she wanted to keep.

As a podcast host and storyteller with VIBE Okanagan, she is still having those conversations, now with the business owners, entrepreneurs, community leaders and ordinary people whose stories deserve a wider audience.

Real people. Real stories. Real connections.

Own a business, have a story worth telling, or know someone who deserves the spotlight? Write to [email protected].

Teresa May hosting in the VIBE Okanagan studio, at the microphone with Okanagan Lake behind her

A record you can check

Showing up, long before the election

Teresa has been doing this work in Kelowna for seventeen years, with no campaign attached to it. Here is some of it.

1,000+

Conversations with residents

One-on-one, in every part of Kelowna, published week by week all summer.

17 years

Volunteering in Kelowna

From 2008 to today, with the Gospel Mission, Pink Shirt Day, Shoe Bank Canada and more.

$26,000

Raised in a single campaign

With the Wild Woman, Wise Woman committee for the East Meets West Children's Foundation.

Founder

Get Your Onesie On

A mental-health fundraiser she started for CMHA Kelowna, years before this campaign.

Chair

Fat Cat Children's Festival

Board member, then chair, of one of Kelowna's best-loved family events.

14 years

Kelowna Santas and Tiny Tim's

Wrapping and delivering gifts, and serving breakfast, for local families.

Teresa in the community

Two decades of showing up.

See them larger on the timeline

What 1,000 conversations changed

What I didn't expect to hear

For three weeks, people told me the roads haven't kept up with the growth. In the Mission, the week the fires came close, they said it differently: if this neighbourhood had to evacuate, where does everybody go?

That one stopped me. Growth planning and emergency planning are the same conversation, and I'm not sure we've been treating them that way.

I didn't come into this campaign with that on my list. A resident put it there.

In her own words

Hear it from Teresa

What she said she'd do on council

From the 2026 all-candidates forum: why she called Kelowna's recovery system broken without transitional housing, what she'd change about approvals and fees, and the thing most candidates won't say out loud about walking into a job they haven't done before.

1,000 conversations with Kelowna. You told me.

Teresa closes out the 1,000 Conversations Tour: what residents raised again and again, and the priorities that came out of listening.

The video you've probably seen

Teresa will try the hard thing, and laugh at herself doing it. That same willingness to show up is what carried her through 1,000 conversations across Kelowna this year.

As seen on Global, CTV and CBC News

Endorsed by

In their own words

“She's a force. She is someone who networks, who believes in her community, and who doesn't wait for someone else to do it. She gets it done.”
Renee MerrifieldFormer MLA for Kelowna-Mission; founder, Troika Developments
Read the full endorsement

Hi, I'm Renee Merrifield, and I'm proud to endorse Teresa May for City Council. Teresa and I met about 15, 20 years ago, I can't even remember, fundraising for cancer research, which is a near and dear cause to my heart. And from that point forward, we connected over community efforts, community events, and she's a force. She is someone who networks, who believes in her community, and who doesn't wait for someone else to do it. She gets it done. She will be a tremendous asset to council, and I really hope that you join me in voting for her this upcoming Saturday. Teresa May for City Council. Thanks.

In their words

What people who know her say

Meet Teresa

Not a career politician. A connector.

Kelowna has been home for more than 20 years. Teresa is a mother and grandmother, a small-business owner, and a lifelong community volunteer who has spent her life bringing people together to solve real problems, not to score political points.

She isn't running because she's a career politician. She's running because she's a connector. She listens first, gets to know the challenges families and neighbourhoods are facing, and works on solutions that actually move the city forward.

Kelowna is growing fast, and that growth should make life better, not harder: safer streets, homes people can afford, real support for seniors and families, and a downtown where local businesses can thrive.

Read Teresa's full story

Teresa May is a lifelong entrepreneur, community leader, volunteer, and advocate who has spent decades investing in the people and future of Kelowna.

Throughout her career, Teresa May has owned and managed a diverse range of businesses, including a custom home building company, a talent agency in the film industry, a dental practice, a furniture refinishing business, a fundraising enterprise, and a specialty meat shop. She has also worked as a teacher and is a published author. Her broad business background has given her firsthand experience in leadership, budgeting, problem-solving, customer service, and creating employment opportunities.

Teresa May is perhaps best known for her unwavering commitment to community service. Over the past two decades, she has volunteered thousands of hours with organizations that support families, children, seniors, health care, and those experiencing hardship. Her volunteer leadership has included serving with and, in many cases, chairing organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Children's Festival, the Wild Women Wise Women Foundation, East Meets West, the Kelowna Gospel Mission, Shoe Bank Canada, The Bridge Youth & Family Services, the Community Food Bank, and Canadian Blood Services. She has always believed that strong communities are built through service, collaboration, and compassion.

Today, Teresa May continues to work alongside her husband Peter Teschner in the residential construction industry, advocating for sustainable, innovative building practices that address housing affordability, environmental responsibility, and community growth. She is passionate about responsible development that enhances neighbourhoods while preparing Kelowna for the future. Teresa has two children, Alisha and Trevor, and Peter has two sons, together a blended family with four grandchildren.

As a grandmother, business owner, volunteer, and Kelowna resident of more than two decades, Teresa brings a practical, balanced, fresh perspective to community issues. She understands the challenges facing families, seniors, businesses, and young people because she has lived them. Her approach is collaborative rather than divisive, and she believes the best solutions come from listening, building relationships, and bringing people together.

Teresa May is seeking public office because she wants to build on the positive momentum Kelowna has achieved. She believes in thoughtful growth, fiscal responsibility, strong community partnerships, and maintaining the high quality of life that makes Kelowna such a remarkable place to live.

Her decades of volunteerism, business leadership, and community involvement reflect a simple philosophy: give back, work hard, listen carefully, and leave your community better than you found it.

20+
Years calling Kelowna home
Local
Small-business owner
Author
& former teacher
Family
Mother & grandmother

This week I heard

Latest from the tour

Every Sunday, a short recap of what came up in that week's conversations.

Updates

This Week I Heard: 144 Conversations Across Kelowna

Week seven of Teresa May's 1,000 Conversations Tour across Kelowna: 144 conversations on recovery and homelessness, excessive vehicle noise, needles in parks, and a practical idea to curb illegal dumping, bringing the running total to 810.

Read more

Follow the whole tour