TORONTO — A retired electrical contractor from Hearst has won $65 million in the Lotto Max draw.
James Wickman, 67, loaded 24 family members onto a rented coach bus and drove to Toronto where he picked up a cheque for the massive jackpot on Wednesday.
He said he was in his vehicle last week when he heard there was one winning ticket in the September 8 draw, and that it had been sold in his region.
"I just may be that winner," he thought, so he rushed home to check his ticket using the OLG lottery app, where his good fortune was confirmed.
"I showed my wife the message on the app, but she couldn't believe it and thought it was an error," Wickman said.
Accompanied by a daughter, he then went to the store to check the ticket through the lottery terminal, "and that's when all the bells and whistles went off."
Wickman has a team of advisors helping him figure out how to manage the money.
He is certain that he will share the winnings with his four children, and will set up trust funds for his 11 (soon to be 12) grandchildren.
“I want to make sure I set them up well for the rest of their lives," he said. “But I am still not sure what I am going to do with the other $64 million!”
