Western Max Lottery Win for Sagkeeng Couple
It was beginner's luck for a Sagkeeng First Nation couple who hit $1 million in a Western Max lottery draw recently.
Winola Canard and Jeremiah Courchene traveled to Winnipeg on Thursday afternoon to collect their $1 million cheque, after becoming the first Manitobans to win the Western Max lottery.
Amazingly, this was the very first time that Canard had ever purchased a lottery ticket in her life. In the spur of the moment, she decided to purchase tickets at the Wal-Mart Good to Go ahead of the June 21 draw.
The $9 Max Pack bought by Canard included a $9 Lotto Max ticket and a $3 Western Max ticket. Western Max is a regional lottery game that was launched in March this year.
Unbelievable Lottery Luck
At a press conference held in Winnipeg to celebrate their Western Max lottery win, Winola Canard recalled the moment that she realized she was a lucky winner of the life-changing lottery sum.
A lottery retailer checked the tickets for her several days after the draw and initially told her that she had won $1,000, but then took another look and said she believed that it was actually $1,000,000.
"I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it. Like, that's what I said," said Canard, still clearly overwhelmed by the news. "It just didn't kick in. Like, I still don't believe it, I don't know..."
The couple plan to do a lot with their windfall, including building a new home, beginning their own business and helping out family members in Sagkeeng.
Another plan is make their nephew's dream come true and take him to Disneyland.
Top Lottery Wins in Sagkeeng
In the past five years, there have been three wins over $10,000 in Sagkeeng, with the most famous being the $50 million win by Kirby and Marie Fontaine in a Lotto Max draw in November 2009.
The Western Canada Lottery Corp also said that a Lotto Max win for $13,000 was recorded in October 2011.
The Fontaines have gone on to become local legends, donating tirelessly to local charities in Manitoba, including $50,000 to the Winnipeg Christmas Cheer Board (and eliminating the organization's debt in the process).
The pair have also donated to good causes on the Sagkeeng First Nation, about 100 km out of Winnipeg.
