Boucherville Rona employees win $55M Lotto Max jackpot

Kalina Laframboise, Montreal Gazette, Published on: July 20, 2015 | Last Updated: July 20, 2015 7:20 PM EDT, Source

Benoît Giroux was shaking when a colleague told him that their group of 20 co-workers won a Canada-wide Lotto Max jackpot of $55 million.

The new millionaires work the night shift together at the Rona warehouse in South Shore Boucherville. Every week, employees buy group lottery tickets in hopes of striking gold.

“My heart almost popped out,” Giroux said. “It was unbelievable.”

Nineteen of the participants received their share of the jackpot on Monday.

Individual cheques came out to $2.75 million. Many were still too shocked to speak while others could not stop grinning.

“I had goosebumps,” Claudine Forget said. “I called my parents.”

Dominic Lord found out that their group had won at a Petro-Canada service station in Longueuil, which will receive a $550,000 prize. He handed the cashier the winning ticket without knowing he was about to become a millionaire.

“The cashier gave me a weird look and said ‘I’ve never seen this,’ ” said Lord, who screamed a loud ‘Yes!’ in the store upon realizing he had won.

The $55-million sum is the largest amount of money that Loto-Québec has ever paid out. Stunned winners stared at their individual cheques upon receiving them from president and CEO Gérard Bibeau.

Giroux, who has been buying group tickets for three years, plans to use the money on practical home renovations.

“I will change all of my windows and doors in my house,” Giroux said. “I have some work to do on my house.”

Many of the winners said they would continue to work, but that the money would be spent in different ways.

“I know the amount and how much I can do with it, but my only intention for right now is to open university bank accounts for my kids,” said Christian Chenette, who is the father of three young children.

Sophie Simoneau, the partner of Eric Valois, said that they are still processing the news. A friend and colleague of Valois called Simoneau to inform them of their winning ticket.

“I am the wife of a millionaire now,” Simoneau said. “I didn’t believe it at all.”

The couple plans on using their winnings to pay for university tuition for children and paying off their debts.

“When we come back down to Earth we will reflect upon all that we want to do,” Simoneau said. “It is certain that for our children, their futures are assured: they will be able to go to school, to do what they want.”

Loto-Québec says the odds of winning the Lotto Max jackpot are 1 in 28,633,528 for every play.