Ontario's newest Lotto 6/49 winners are a couple who've been married for 36 years.
They purchased the $34 million winning ticket during their Friday date night!
OLG just announced that Joe and Lise Menard of Cache Bay won the $34 million Gold Ball jackpot in the Lotto 6/49 draw on June 21.
Cache Bay is a community on Lake Nipissing between Sudbury and North Bay.
Joe said now that they've won all this money, people might want to change the name of the small town from Cache Bay to CA$H Bay.
The Menards bought the winning ticket at Arrowhead Gas Bar on Osprey Miikan Road on Nipissing First Nation.
"We always buy our lottery tickets on Friday as part of our date night," Lise said. "We happened to stop at a gas station, and I had some old tickets in my purse, so I asked Joe to check them after he finished pumping the gas."
"When I went in to pay for the gas, I asked the clerk to check the tickets," Joe explained.
"After seeing they weren't winners, the clerk asked if I wanted to replay them. I usually get new tickets using Quick Pick, but this time I replayed the old ones."
Then, he heard on the news that the Gold Ball jackpot had been won with a ticket sold in northern Ontario.
"It wasn't until later that evening that Lise checked the tickets on her phone with the OLG app," Joe said.
At first, he thought they had won $34,000, but Lise told him it was more than that because of all the zeroes.
"I almost had a heart attack," Lise said.
Then, the couple shared the news with their grown children.
"They couldn't believe what we were telling them," Lise revealed. "They thought we were playing a joke on them, but when I sent them a screenshot of the $34 million message from the OLG app, they started screaming."
Joe and Lise Menard with a $34 million Lotto 6/49 cheque.Courtesy of OLG
The retired married couple already has plans for the $34 million jackpot.
"The big thing for us was to take care of the kids the best way we can," Lise said. "When someone needs something, we will be there to help."
Also, they want to travel across Canada, including trips to the west and east coasts, with visits to Canadian cities along the way.
Joe, who used to be a mechanic, loves working on vintage cars, so he's going to spend some of the money to get a classic car.
He also has plans to do a few special things for his wife now that they're millionaires.
"I've always wanted to give her a dream home, and now she's going to get it," Joe said.
Lise wears a fake diamond ring that Joe made as a joke gift for their 15th wedding anniversary. It's crafted from a steel nut welded onto a big novelty crystal.
But that's about to change.
"She's going to get a real diamond ring now for putting up with me all those years," Joe revealed.
If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, refer to these helplines across Canada. Support is available.