The Aviva Community Fund Announces the Grand Prize Winning Ideas

December 5, 2017 (Toronto, ON) – After receiving over 500 ideas for positive change, a 10-day finalist-voting period and evaluation by judges, Aviva Canada is pleased to announce the grand prize winners of the Aviva Community Fund (ACF) competition.

The 13 grand prize winners in the Community Development, Community Heath and Community Resilience categories will share $1,000,000 in funding from the ACF.

“Congratulations to all the grand prize winners and all of the amazing finalists this year. Supporting and caring for Canadians in making positive sustainable change in their communities will always be our belief at Aviva,” says Debora Hendrickson, Senior Vice President, Aviva Canada. “What a privilege it’s been to be able to run another year of this competition, bringing our donation total to $8.5 million over the past nine years. We’re continually inspired by the commitment and engagement of Canadians from coast-to-coast.”

Watch our video announcement here, or see our grand prize winners listed below:

Winners in the Community Development category (education, skills training, culture, research and basic needs)

  • Housing for Hope (Antigonish, NS)
  • Recovery Begins With Shelter #SoulsHarbour (Halifax, NS)
  • Two Rivers Revitalization (Marion Bridge, NS)
  • Riversyde 83: Kitchen Renovation (Simcoe, ON)
  • Un quartier mobilisé vers une épicerie collective! (Montreal, QC)

Winners in the Community Health category (health, sport, active living and play)

  • Seaside Park Elementary Community Playground (Saint John, NB)
  • A Splash Pad for Placentia (Placentia, NL)
  • #GrieveNotAlone (Kawartha Lakes, ON)
  • Un jardin thérapeutique à La Maison Aube-Lumière (Sherbrooke, QC)

Winners in the Community Resilience category (environment, climate, disaster relief and prevention)

  • Emma's Acres: Environmental Sustainability (Mission, BC)
  • Green Dining at the new St. John’s Farmers’ Market (St. John’s, NL)
  • Replanting School Grown (Toronto, ON)
  • Wikwemikong Greenhouse for Change (Wikwemikong First Nation, ON)

Aviva will donate $5,000 on behalf of each of the finalists to a charity of their choice. Click here to see a complete list of this year’s finalists.

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Shah
Aviva Canada
Mobile: 647-746-4956
Email: jennifer.shah@aviva.com


About Aviva Canada:

Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, leisure/lifestyle and business insurance to 2.9 million customers. A subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, Aviva Canada has more than 4,000 employees focused on creating a bright and sustainable future for our customers and our communities.

Aviva Canada invests in positive change through the Aviva Community Fund, Canada’s longest running online community funding competition, which has awarded $8.5 million to over 280 charities and community groups nationwide since its inception in 2009. Aviva Canada was the first insurer to become a national corporate partner of the Canadian Red Cross’ Ready When the Time Comes program, to be there for Canadians when disaster strikes. With a strong commitment to prevention and protection, the organization has partnered with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, and launched the Plan & Protect app, to help Canadians prepare for unforeseen weather events and natural disasters. In 2016, it received The Burns & Wilcox Award for Philanthropy & Community Service. At Aviva Canada, protecting the people and things you love, supporting the causes you care about most and strengthening your local community is just good thinking.


For more information visit Aviva Canada’s Corporate Responsibility page, Aviva Canada’s blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.