Adding lottery ticket to peanuts purchase leaves B.C. woman $70 million richer
Stopping for peanuts turned a woman from B.C.'s Lower Mainland into a multi-millionaire, thanks to a spur-of-the-moment decision to add a lottery ticket to her purchase.
Christine Lauzon's Lotto Max ticket – bought at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Burnaby, along with a pack of peanuts – matched all seven numbers in the Sept. 28 draw, winning her a massive $70 million prize.
"I just thought, 'Why not buy a ticket?'" Lauzon told the B.C. Lottery Corporation. "I have definitely dreamed about it but I never thought it would actually happen. You never think it's going to happen."
Lauzon's win marks the biggest lottery jackpot ever claimed in the province.
After checking her ticket at home, she shared the news with her roommate and then her father – but only after getting an expletive or two out of her system.
"The first thing, for me, was to swear because I couldn't believe it," Lauzon said.
She told the BCLC her plan is to meet her financial advisor, share some of her fortune with family, then spend a little time processing before deciding what to do with the rest.
"I feel nervous and excited all in one," Lauzon said in a BCLC news release. "I can't fully wrap my head around it all right now."
The odds of winning a Lotto Max jackpot, which requires matching all seven numbers without using the bonus, are said to be an infinitesimal one in 33,294,800.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.