Lisa Priest
From Monday's Globe and Mail Published on Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 11:09PM EST
One of the biggest jackpots in Canadian history – a staggering $50-million – went to a couple from a Manitoba First Nation.
Marie and Kirby Fontaine of Sagkeeng First Nation, about 150 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, purchased the Lotto Max ticket from Broadlands Convenience store near Pine Falls at about 6 p.m. on Friday.
On Saturday, the couple called around lunch time to say that they were coming in to check their numbers.
“I think they had an idea they won something, but not the big one,” Laurie Wilson, who owns the convenience store with her husband Kim Wilson, said in a telephone interview from Pine Falls, Man., Sunday night.
In fact, Ms. Wilson thought nothing of it when they couple came in. When she heard so much “yelling and screaming,” coming from a nearby room, she was concerned someone had been hit by a car. In fact, it was the couple screaming with excitement.
“They were jumping up and down,” said Ms. Wilson.
When Ms. Fontaine signed the claim slip for her prize, her hands were “pretty shaky,” said Ms. Wilson.
“It feels pretty incredible. We're just a small town here in Pine Falls. My husband kept on saying, we're going to have a big ticket some day,” she said. “Every one says too bad it wasn't your ticket. But it feels great.”
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