Ontario man wins $70-million Lotto Max jackpot but says he has no plan to retire
After about 30 years of playing the lottery and dreaming of a winning ticket, the day finally came for a father in Brampton, Ont. who is now $70-million richer.
“I had many dreams about winning it ‘big’ one day and a few times I came close,” said 54-year-old Manoharan Ponnuthurai while picking up his jackpot cheque at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto.
About 15 years ago, he won $2,800, but he never came close to his current multimillion dollar earnings.
This time around, Ponnuthurai heard the news first: there was a winning ticket in Brampton from the Dec. 17 draw. He pulled out his Lotto ticket and saw his first four numbers were a match.
“I was so shaky I couldn’t continue,” Ponnuthurai said.
He called for his wife and children to help him read the remaining numbers. “As each number matched, my heart was racing faster and faster.”
In shock, he quietly kept saying to himself, “I won. I won!”
While Ponnuthurai is a multimillionaire, he has no plan to retire. As the owner of a small manufacturing company, he has several employees who depend on him for a living. But, his wife is ready to leave her job and head back to school.
At the top of Ponnuthurai’s list of priorities, he wants to spend his $70-million on a new house for his family and explore beaches in Europe set on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
“I am so happy about my family’s future. Whatever we decide to do, we will do it as family and that is the most important to me!”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.