Eastern Ontario great-grandmother, 83, wins $60M Lotto Max jackpot
When Vera Page realized she had won the Lotto Max $60 million grand prize, she had a difficult time convincing herself she hit the jackpot.
But it was even tougher for the 83-year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother from Vankleek Hill, Ont. to convince her family.
“It was close to 9 p.m. when I called my son, Trevor, but he didn’t answer his phone," Page told OLG. "Then I called my daughter-in-law, and she didn’t answer either. I finally got a hold of my other daughter-in-law, but she didn’t believe me and told me to go to sleep,” she laughed.
Page won the $60 million Lotto Max jackpot from the Nov. 1 draw. OLG held a small winner celebration with her in Toronto and interviewed her about her big victory.
A regular lottery player for 40 years, Page almost missed out on buying her ticket when the weekly outing to the grocery store from her retirement home was cancelled.
“When the staff at my retirement home rescheduled our weekly trip, I got on my motorized scooter and went to the store myself," she said.
She bought her tickets and tucked them under her computer until the draw. Her winning ticket was purchased at Foodland on Highway 34 in Vankleek Hill.
When she won and couldn't reach her family members, she called some friends in her retirement home, but they were in bed and half-asleep. Page said she was up most of the night thinking about the life-changing win.
The next morning her son returned her call and upon hearing the news, raced to her apartment.
“I told him that we have to go to Foodland where I bought the ticket to validate it and make sure I wasn’t seeing things," Vera told OLG. “We were in such a rush that I put on a pair of pants over my nightgown, threw on a jacket and went to the store half-dressed! When I gave my ticket to the clerk, the bells and whistles went off and the clerk yelled that I had won big."
Page is one of 11 children and helped raise her younger siblings. She donated a kidney to her sister and worked as a personal support worker. Her son Trevor says his mother has worked hard all her life and given so much back to her family. He said he's "over the moon" that she won this money while she can still enjoy it.
"She is so deserving of this good fortune," he told OLG.
The owner of the store where Page bought the ticket is sharing in her excitement.
"It feels great, but I feel much better for Vera," said Justin Phelan, the owner of the Vankleek Hill Foodland. "What a great win for her, and it's fun to be part of the excitement."
Phelan said he's not sure how much the store will receive for selling the winning ticket, but he plans to donate the money to the local food bank.
Customers at the Foodland said the win couldn't have happened to a nicer woman.
"She deserves it," said Jean McDonald. "Vankleek Hill's a great town - they always have something going on. I'm looking forward to seeing her and seeing what she does with it. I'm sure she'll do well."
"It's life-changing for her and her entire family," said Rick Cortez, another Vankleek Hill resident. "And it makes the community proud."
Page says she wants to buy a piece of land on the Ottawa River and build a double-family house for herself and her son's family. She also wants to experience an Alaskan cruise and wants to spend winters in a warmer place.
"The winters in eastern Ontario are cold so I would like to spend them in a warmer climate. But the summers are wonderful, so I want to get a big boat that many people can sleep on and tour the Ottawa River," she said.
"Most importantly, I will share my winnings with my family. I want to take care of their futures.”
But before she does all that, there's a purchase that's a little more urgent.
“I am getting new hearing aids!”
- with files from Dave Charbonneau, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.