Get the Top, Local stories delivered to your inbox! Click here to join the daily Vernon Matters newsletter.
By Corey Fischer
Search On For Multi-Culture Champions

Search On For Multicultural Champions

Nov 19, 2018 | 3:00 PM

Vernon is looking its 2019 multicultural community champions.

The program, now in its fourth year, shows how diversity strengthens the community by highlighting the contributions of local residents.

Annette Sharkey, executive director of the Social Planning Council, says they’re looking for multicultural nominees who make contributions through entrepreneurship, career, mentorship or volunteerism.

“Our community is rich with people from indigenous cultures as well as people from around the world contributing to the fabric of our society. We’ve had such a positive response to the program and we’re excited to continue to share these amazing stories,” says Sharkey.

Nominations can be made by completing a simple form and submitting it to the Social Planning by email before December 15, 2018.

Safety First
Vernon RCMP urge parents not to allow kids to ride e-dirt bikes on roads
13h ago
$700K up to $1.4M
Rising costs double price of flood protection work at Vernon Water Reclamation Centre
13h ago
Abducted Four-Year Old
Amber Alert for West Kelowna child cancelled
19h ago

The forms are available to download online at www.socialplanning.ca

“Nominees will need to be comfortable being celebrated, sharing their culture and having their story told publicly, ” adds Sharkey.

Up to 10 nominations will be selected as Community Champions and will have their story professionally written and shared in the community. They will also be honoured at a multicultural reception in March 2019 and receive a keepsake copy of their feature story.

“Under the banner “Respect Works Here” these stories inspire and captivate readers. Respect comes from understanding each other better and this simple initiative
shows the strength our community gains from embracing and celebrating diversity.”

Funding for the program is provided by the Province of BC.

Photo: Multicultural champions from 2017

by Corey Fischer

Other Matters

Commemorative Crosswalk
Veteran crosswalk to be installed in Vernon
A crosswalk in Vernon will be painted to honour those who have served the nation.City Councillor Teresa Durning put forward a motion at Monday's meeting to install a Veteran's crosswalk at the intersection of 31st Avenue and 30th Street.The commemorative crosswalk would be located near Cenotaph Park and installed with ...
12h ago
Read More
Safety First
Vernon RCMP urge parents not to allow kids to ride e-dirt bikes on roads
Local Mounties have asked parents to step up and try to stop dangerous activities on local roads.Vernon North Okanagan RCMP said they have seen an influx of youth riding e-dirt bikes on public roads, but these vehicles do not comply with Motor Vehicle Act regulations and cannot be insured or registered, and therefore a...
13h ago
Read More
$700K up to $1.4M
Rising costs double price of flood protection work at Vernon Water Reclamation Centre
The price tag for a flood protection project at a key city asset has doubled.The City of Vernon had planned a flood protection project for the Vernon Water Reclamation Centre, as the facility was found to be vulnerable during high flow events, posing operation and flood risk concerns for the centre and the downstream c...
13h ago
Read More
Potential Fire Bug
Police seek suspect after three suspicious fires in West Kelowna
West Kelowna RCMP are looking for a suspect believed to be connected to three suspicious fires set early Saturday morning.Police say firefighters were called around 4:25 a.m. July 18 after a portable toilet caught fire at a park in the 3100-block of Shannon Lake Road. The flames spread to a nearby structure before bein...
14h ago
Read More
Crime Concerns
Kelowna crime severity declines, but safety concerns remain
Crime severity in the Kelowna area declined in 2025, according to new Statistics Canada data, but many residents say they still have concerns about public safety.The Kelowna Census Metropolitan Area, which includes Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland, ranked ninth highest among Canada's 41 metropolitan ar...
17h ago
Read More
Found Safe
Missing man found safe after overnight search near Mission Creek
A coordinated search involving RCMP and Kelowna Search and Rescue crews ended with a missing man being found safe late Tuesday night.Search and Rescue said it received a call around 7 p.m. asking for assistance in locating the man in the Sutherland Hills area behind Mission Creek.More than a dozen team members responde...
17h ago
Read More
Abducted Four-Year Old
Amber Alert for West Kelowna child cancelled
Police cancelled the Amber Alert issued shortly after midnight Wednesday for a missing West Kelowna boy.At 12:03 p.m. July 22 the RCMP cancelled the alert.Police said multiple tips led to the child being found in Vernon."We would like to thank the public, the media, and our policing partners for their assistance,&...
19h ago
Read More
Supply for Ag Uses
Vernon still considering using reclaimed water for agricultural purposes
The City of Vernon is hoping to use reclaimed water to support local agriculture producers.The city and the Regional District of North Okanagan tasked staff with conducting a feasibility assessment on using reclaimed water to top up the Goose Lake Reservoir.The idea came in response to the declining water supply and in...
Jul 22, 2026
Read More
Home Invasion and Homicide
Police investigating murder in Salmon Arm
RCMP have asked for the public's help investigating a home invasion turned homicide.Police believe three suspects, two men and a woman, broke into a home in the 100 block of 4th Street SE around 3 a.m. Friday, July 17.During the home invasion, the suspects got into an altercation with a resident who was shot and later ...
Jul 21, 2026
Read More

What Matters

Safety First
Vernon RCMP urge parents not to allow kids to ride e-dirt bikes on roads
13h ago
$700K up to $1.4M
Rising costs double price of flood protection work at Vernon Water Reclamation Centre
13h ago
Abducted Four-Year Old
Amber Alert for West Kelowna child cancelled
19h ago
Supply for Ag Uses
Vernon still considering using reclaimed water for agricultural purposes
Jul 22, 2026
Home Invasion and Homicide
Police investigating murder in Salmon Arm
Jul 21, 2026