Canadian eyes semi-retirement after $2-million lottery win with grocery coworkers

After winning a lottery prize with his coworkers, one Canadian is ready for life in the slow lane.

Lottery player Mario Lafleur lives in Laurentides, Que., where he has worked as a soft-drink delivery driver for the past 24 years, delivering drinks to the Alimentation Brébeuf grocery store.

Lafleur plays the lottery as part of a group, together with four grocery employees and three other suppliers. He recalled receiving a call from group leader Stefano Crisafi telling him that they had won the lottery.

Lafleur recalls his response to Crisafi: “Don’t mess with me this morning — it’s not funny!”

And he had good reason to be skeptical — Crisafi has a reputation among the group as a jokester, a trait that backfired on him this time. Crisafi said he was at the Alimentation Brébeuf grocery store when he checked their ticket and realized that they had won the Quebec 49 top prize worth $2 million.

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He was excited to share the news with group members, only to get the same response.

“Nobody believed me,” he recalled. “They all said, ‘Put your wife on the phone. She’ll tell me if it’s true!'”

Marie-Reine Perreault, the grocery store assistant manager, was camping when she got the call from Crisafi.

“Don’t wake me up at 7 a.m. for a joke!” she had said.

But thankfully, it was no joke. After some persuading, the group eventually believed Crisafi and celebrated their win, accepting their $2 million cheque in front of the grocery store. Shared among all of them, each of the eight winners will receive $250,000, and they already have plans.

Crisafi and his partner Maryse Lamontagne plan to explore Italy, where his father is from, while delivery driver Daniel Elio wants to visit his in-laws in France. Cheese distributor Martin Vendette is putting his money towards building a house, while cashier Ginette Charette wants to move to a bigger home.

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But while others have big travel plans ahead, others have their sights set on retirement.

Ghislain Lacasse, who has been delivering bread in the Mont-Tremblant area for 34 years, is nearing retirement and said he wants to use the money to pay off his cottage. As for Lafleur, the added financial security has him considering semi-retirement plans once again after previously putting them on hold.

The Alimentation Brébeuf grocery store, which sold the winning ticket, will receive a one per cent commission of $20,000.

All forms of gambling, including the lottery, involve risk and outcomes are based on chance. Individuals are strongly advised to gamble responsibly. If you are experiencing any signs of gambling-related issues, check out these resources.