Top row: Marie Saltel, Karen Roche and Louise Pinel. Bottom row: Cheryl Norman, Tuan Anh Pham and Karan Lajoie. (WCLC)
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Plume)
Six Winnipeg nursing home coworkers have won it big and will share $5 million.
Marie Saltel, Cheryl Norman, Karan Lajoie, Karen Roche, Tuan Anh Pham and Louise Pinel won the millions on the July 25 LOTTO 6/49 draw.
“It’s unbelievable — it still doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m dreaming,” said Saltel, who claimed the prize on behalf of the group.
Saltel was also the one to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket for the group the day before the draw at the Dakota Family Foods at 1099 St. Mary’s Road in Winnipeg. It’s something she’s done for the group every week for the 10 years they’ve been playing together.
“Every Friday, my homework is picking up the tickets,” she laughed.
Saltel said she had a difficult time convincing her coworkers they had won after playing the lottery together for so long.
“But they believe it now!”
Saltel said the win was especially meaningful to everyone in the group after a stressful few months as nursing home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group plans to use their winnings by helping their kids out, spending some on home renovations and saving for retirement.
The Western Canada Lottery Corporation says the win is the biggest lottery prize in Manitoba since a Winnipeg resident claimed $9.5 million in June 2019 on a LOTTO MAX draw.
