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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.