TORONTO - A jovial bunch of co-workers from Penetanguishene, Ont., picked up a $21-million prize Thursday after winning a Lotto Max jackpot.
Each of the 12 mental health workers, who said they were all great friends outside of work, will get $1.75 million from the Nov. 25 draw.
Most in the group said they would be returning to their jobs despite their new riches, although one or two plan to retire.
The winners, who range in age from 33 to 63, work at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care in Penetanguishene, about 140 kilometres north of Toronto.
Their plans for the winnings included buying new vehicles, travelling and spending lots of money in the community.
Christopher Lahaie, who spoke for the group, said they had played the lottery together for just over a year.
It's always been the same 12 people every week, with each paying $2 toward Quick Picks, he said. Before winning the jackpot, the group had won smaller prizes of $10 and free tickets.
"When I validated the ticket and found out the amount of our win, my first thought was of our group. I was thinking how much the money would help out each member," Lahaie said.
"Then I laughed to myself that we all went to work for a whole week without knowing."
He said many of his co-workers didn't believe him when he told them they'd won.
"Christopher is known as the joker of the group so we all thought he was playing a trick on us," said Donna Valentine. "It took some time to sink in but we're all elated."
Other workers at the hospital are happy for the winners and hope some of their luck will rub off, the group said.
"The whole hospital was amazing," said Lahaie. "Everyone's been so positive for us, it's made it even better."
