Lotto winners delighted to pass the bucks

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This article was published 12/11/2009 (6118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Barenaked Ladies sang, ‘If I had a million dollars I’d buy you a house’ but when the Sagkeeng First Nation couple who recently won $50 million — the country’s largest jackpot prize given to one ticket holder — tried to buy several homes, they were rebuffed.

The day after Lotto MAX winner Marie Fontaine confirmed she and her husband Kirby were receiving the windfall, they wanted to buy a dozen houses in one fell swoop.

But Marie Fontaine said a company that builds ready-to-move homes in Winnipeg and trucks them elsewhere wouldn’t open on Sunday.

"I said, ‘My name is Marie Fontaine, and I’m sorry, I’ll take my business elsewhere,’" she said Tuesday, breaking into a grin.

"I was prepared to buy at least 10 to 12 houses on the spot. I said, ‘Just remember my name.’ I think he just didn’t believe it was us.

"I don’t want the power, I just wanted to get stuff going."

There were tears, kisses, and knowing looks between the couple as they were introduced in an ornate ballroom at the Fort Garry Hotel as the only people in the country who won the grand prize in last Friday’s Lotto MAX jackpot.

It’s the third-highest payout in Canada. A group of 17 oil workers in Alberta shared $54.2 million in 2005. A $50.2-million prize was handed out earlier this year, with four ticket holders splitting that prize.

The Fontaines cried when they talked about the treatment Kirby needs for the stroke he had in January, which caused him to be hospitalized for three months. He still doesn’t have the full use of his left arm and he uses a cane when he walks.

"We’ve got a lot of plans," Marie said.

"He’s going to get the best treatment with this money. This is our new life… it will change lives, not just ours."

"This is very hard for a stroke person," Kirby said. "Riverview, here I come."

Kirby, who has been out of work since his stroke, said he spent his last $10 on lottery tickets before Friday’s draw.

But what he didn’t know was that his wife, who works in a personal care home in Pine Falls, bought a single ticket at a store in Pine Falls just hours before the draw.

The next day, that piece of paper was worth $50 million.

The couple said the windfall won’t change them: They said they’ll still shop at Wal-Mart and eat at McDonald’s — they had already eaten at one of the fast-food outlets after learning about their win on Saturday — and they’ll still live in a house they plan to build at the reserve near Pine Falls, 150 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

The couple has two children and has been married for 15 years.

They both said they’ll work as volunteers to help the community.

Besides houses for their family and health care for Kirby, the couple wants to travel.

"We’ve never been out of Manitoba," Marie said.

"By ourselves" Kirby added.

They have been on group trips to Grand Forks, N.D., and Alberta.

"Where do we want to go?" Marie asked. "A lot of places. We want to see the world."

Kirby said he looks forward to having fun with their windfall. "I love my wife," he said, once again wiping tears.

"She has been with me from Day 1 and she’s still with me."

Michael LeBow, a professor of psychology at the University of Manitoba, said the best advice for them would be to take a breather.

"I would make sure I became comfortable with what I have before I did something," LeBow said.

"You might make a decision right away to help this person and put a bit away, but before I did anything like that I would allow time to become comfortable with it until it didn’t feel like it was from outer space."

LeBow said it would be best to write a list of what they want to do and what they didn’t want to have happen.

"I wouldn’t change everything all at once and I wouldn’t let the money change me," he said. "Money does not buy everything. There are some things you have already you don’t want to sacrifice."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca