Surrey woman crowned Mrs. Canada World

Fallon Shilanthi, crowned Mrs. Canada World 2025-26 at the Mrs. Canada Inc. beauty pageant in July, has made a return to the pageant scene, guided by her mission to advocate for vulnerable children through her platform Hope for Little Lights.

Shilanthi, born and raised in Sri Lanka, took her first step into beauty and fashion at the age of five, when she participated in and won the Avurudu Kumari pageant in Sri Lanka.

“That experience sparked a love for the stage and the self-expression that has stayed with me ever since,” Shilanthi says.

In 2008, Shilanthi had the honour of representing Sri Lanka internationally, placing as the first runnerup at the Best Model of the World competition in Spain. Later, in 2010, she was crowned Mrs. Sri Lanka for Miss World and competed at the Miss World pageant in China.

Shilanthi’s husband, who is a Kwantlen Polytechnic University alumnus, suggested she participate in the Mrs. Canada World competition.

Shilanthi says she is proud to represent Canada at the 2025-26 Mrs. World competition and believes it is a huge opportunity for her to address the mission of her Hope for Little Lights platform in front of the world.

Founded by Shilanthi in 2007, Hope for Little Lights provides children with essential support, such as food, stationery, and clothing, and serves as a channel to raise awareness about the limitations children face, providing them a voice to express their challenges. 

She says her main goal entering the pageant was to help children shine and make a positive impact on society. 

One in five children in Canada risk going to school hungry, according to Statistics Canada data from 2023. 

While a lot of food goes to waste every day, by working together, Shilanthi says, we can redirect it to help children in need. For the coming months, she is planning initiatives like a Christmas toy drive to support families.

Shilanthi says her own children make the significance of her platform greater for her and increase her willingness to reduce the rate of hunger even stronger. 

Shilanthi also works part time as a cosmetologist in White Rock and believes that healthy family relationships and balance are essential to her success. 

“We have one life. So if you have a good time schedule, good management, you can do it,” she says. 

Prioritizing your goals and being persistent in achieving them should be integrated into one’s daily schedule, she says, to help create a balanced life. 

While she does not have any extended family in the area, her husband has always been her main support and a great advisor since they got married 13 years ago, she says. 

She says that the ability to take in everything related to work easily helps a lot, and her main focus in the morning is always to have a peaceful mind. 

Having and making healthy meals together with her children is also an important ritual in her family. 

“The past 15 years I did [things] for my family …. I couldn’t [have] a bigger impact [on] society. So for this opportunity, I feel so grateful because I can make a big impact with the community,” she says. 

Shilanthi is grateful and happy for the opportunity to make a bigger impact on the community. 

“Always think you are powerful, capable, and born with a purpose. Never ever forget your worth,” she says. “Keep thinking about your personal life and personal growth because we are women, so every day we need to do something. We need to achieve something.”