$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
For nearly two months, Doug and Enid Hannon of Lakefield kept a big secret from their entire family – a $70 million secret.
The couple, who have been married for 51 years, are Ontario's newest multi-millionaires after winning the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in the February 20 draw.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Even though Enid purchased the Quick Pick Lotto Max ticket at a grocery store while on the way to their camp, it was Doug who discovered the big win the day after the draw, when he checked the ticket on the OLG App.
"I was completely unaware that a winning ticket had been sold in our area. So, when I saw 'Big Winner' on the phone screen, I was shaking. My heart was pounding. I had to stare at it for a while and process all those zeroes. Then I had to check it a few more times."
Doug, who has been retired for a few years, decided not to mention anything to his wife until she got home from work.
"I went to the garage and buried my head in some work while I struggled with disbelief and thought about our next steps," Doug said. He made sure dinner was ready when Enid got home and waited until after they ate to share the news.
"Doug told me to come into the computer room, and the OLG website was on the computer screen. He told me to check the numbers on the ticket. When I realized we had won a prize, I first thought it was a $70,000 win. Doug told me to recount all the zeros, and that's when it hit me that we had won $70 million," Enid said.
That's when the emotions let loose.
"We hugged and cried and started talking about this wonderful opportunity we now have to help family and others," she said.
The couple decided to keep this multi-million dollar win amongst themselves for a while – they even kept it a secret from their grown children and grandchildren.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
They agreed first to get financial and legal advice as they started to make some plans for the money.
Not telling anyone was difficult for Enid as she is very open and expressive with all who know her.
"Keeping this secret was killing me," she said.
About a week before collecting their prize at the winner celebration, Doug and Enid finally told their children and grandchildren about their good fortune. Everyone was in disbelief and extremely happy for them.
During the celebration, the couple shared a few of their plans for some of the money.
Doug, who loves the outdoors, said he wants to travel.
"I would like to travel across Canada to experience the beautiful nature of this country from coast to coast," Doug said.
Enid, who is about to retire, is excited about starting some long-awaited renovations to their home.
"I have been dreaming about a new kitchen for years, and now I will get it, along with some other improvements to the house, because we love where we live, and we don't want to move," she said.
The couple both agree that the number one priority for this money is their family.
"Our family is most important; we want to share this with them. I want to ensure everyone is safe, secure and well taken care of."
They also plan to share some of their winnings with community causes close to their hearts.
At the end of the winner celebration, the Hannons decided to let the secret out to their extended family members. They invited them to a special family meeting where they revealed the $70 million win and a promise of a big family trip to celebrate together.
"This is truly a blessing for us and our family," said Enid and Doug. "Like many people, you always hope to win the lottery, but we never dreamt this would happen to us. We are so very thankful."
The winning ticket was purchased at Kinmount Independent Grocer on Kawartha Lakes County Rd 121 in Kinmount.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca