Winners of $34 million lottery jackpot in Canada have been revealed

The winners of a massive lottery jackpot in Canada have been revealed.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced in a news release Thursday that Joe and Lise Menard of Cache Bay, which is between Sudbury and North Bay, won the Lotto 6/49 gold ball jackpot in the June 21 draw.

The retired couple, who have been married for 36 years, have now taken home $34 million.

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And they credit the big win to their weekly Friday date night, which includes a dinner out and a stop at the store to buy their tickets, the release said.

They stopped at a gas station to get some gas when Joe also bought some tickets.

“When I heard on the news that the Lotto 6/49 gold ball ticket was sold in Northern Ontario, I had a premonition that we had the winning ticket,” Joe said.

“It wasn’t until later that evening that Lise checked the tickets on her phone with the OLG app.”

Lise said she was in disbelief when she saw the win.

“I almost had a heart attack,” she recalled.

“I kept saying ‘Joe! Joe! Joe!’ At first, he thought we had won $34,000 and I kept telling him to look at the all the zeros.”

Handout / OLG

The couple then shared the news with their grown children right away and Lise said they couldn’t believe it at first.

“They thought we were playing a joke on them, but when I sent them a screenshot of the $34 million message from the OLG app, they started screaming. They were so excited for us.”

Joe and Lise met when they went to high school prom together and have worked hard throughout their lives, watching their money carefully, the release said.

But now, it will be a lot easier.

“The big thing for us was to take care of the kids the best way we can,” Lise said.

“Now my kids will be taken care of — no more worries. When someone needs something, we will be there to help.”

The couple also plans to travel across Canada with their winnings and Lise will get her “dream home” with a special feature.

“I’ve always dreamed of having a big harvest table so we can all sit together for family meals and entertain more during the holidays. No more sitting all over the house — now we’ll be all together,” Lise said.

Joe is a retired mechanic who enjoys working on vintage cars and that is also playing into their plans.

Handout / OLG

“Since I was 16 years old, I have been dreaming of hot rods, and now I’m going to get one,” he said.

On their 15th wedding anniversary, Joe gave Lise a fake diamond ring as a joke, crafted from a steel nut and welded onto a novelty crystal. Lise has worn it proudly but now, Joe said she will be getting a real one.

“She’s going to get a real diamond ring now for putting up with me all those years,” he said.

As they settle into the big win, the couple said that their love for each other and their family has and always will be strong.

“Joe’s favourite saying is, ‘What Momma wants, Momma gets.’ Even though we didn’t have much, he’s always given me what I wanted and has never shied away. He’s my best friend, and he will always be,” Lise said.

Joe also jokingly suggested a new name for their small community.

“Now that we’ve won this money, people may want to change the name of our small town … from Cache Bay to CA$H Bay!”

Their winning ticket was purchased at Arrowhead Gas Bar on Osprey Miikan Road in Nipissing First Nation.