BURSTTwo Okanagan communities daily acts of kindness have landed them a spot in the nationwide competition.
Conducted by Coca-Cola, the title for ‘Canada’s Kindest Community’ comes with a $100,000 prize awarded to a local charity and a stop on the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan 2026 tour.
Some of the acts that Peachland and Lower Similkameen performed were:
- A local quilt guild donated more than 297 handmade quilts this year to the Kelowna NICU, recovery homes, women’s shelters, and children in need through Sleep in Heavenly Peace;
- During wildfires this past summer in Peachland, residents opened their homes to evacuees without hesitation, while local farmers provided horse trailers and boarding for evacuated animals;
- Volunteers organized back country cleanups, staffed local fairs and served meals through the Friendship Club, lending a hand wherever needed.
Communities all across the country submitted nearly 5,400 acts of kindness. The finalists were shortlisted based on the highest number of nominations per capita.
“The submissions for each community will now blindly be evaluated by a panel of judges, made up of representatives from last year’s winning community (Jarvis, Ontario), Coca-Cola, Coke Canada Bottling, Community Foundations Canada, and an independent third party to determine the winning community, with the winner announced in the coming weeks,” reads a press release.
The eight other cities vying for the title are:
- Elnora, Alta;
- Maskwacis, Alta;
- McBrid, B.C.
- Colinet, N.L.;
- Hilton Beach, Ont.;
- Mississaugas of Scugog Island, Ont.;
- Les Lacs-du-Témiscamingue, Que;
- Arcola, Sask.