Nova Scotia has five new millionaires.
Employees of the Snack Shack - a popular Kentville diner famous for its fish and chips and friendly service - were presented with a cheque worth $15,222,777.40 on Wednesday.
Valerie Archer, Mary Rhynold, Joanne Gillis, Stephanie Dunham and diner owner Wafaa Toulany had all six winning numbers in last week’s Atlantic Lottery Jackpot.
“I need a new vehicle and I’m looking at real estate and just…sitting back wondering what I’m going to do with all this!” says Gillis.
Toulany says she plans to sell the diner, buy a home and retire.
“I have my business for sale now and the house comes with it, so everything is going to be for sale,” she says.
For Dunham, the cheque was a birthday present she will never forget.
“I think the family is going to come over to the house tonight and we’re going to celebrate with a beer!”
Her mother, Janet Dunham, says she is having a hard time taking it all in.
“I couldn’t say anything but ‘oh my God! Oh my God!’”
Rhynold says she plans to use the money to help a friend who is going through a difficult time.
“She has to have a double lung transplant. She’s leaving in October and they didn’t know what they were going to do and I’m going to make sure she has what she needs,” says Rhynold.
The women have been purchasing lotto tickets as a group for several years, using the same numbers each time, but this is their first big Lotto 6/49 win.
Toulany says they purchased the winning ticket at the diner, but Atlantic Lottery says they followed all the proper procedures.
The winning ticket had the “Retailer Play” stamp on it. Without the stamp, lottery officials say retailers who present a winning ticket for $1,000 or more must wait 30 days before being awarded their prize.
The Toulany family also received an extra 1 per cent of the winnings – just over $152,000 - because the ticket was purchased at their diner.
The women have been hard at work since their big win, saying they plan to stay until Toulany has hired replacements or until the diner sells.
“The people, the customers and the co-workers, yeah, it’s going to be hard,” says Gillis. “It’s going to be hard to leave, but it’s time to leave.”
Customers say the jackpot win couldn’t have happened to a better group of people.
“The service is great and the owners are wonderful,” says Greg Bent.
“I’m so happy for them, especially for Mary Ann,” says Mona Dalton. “I’ve known her for a few years and I couldn’t be happier. They all deserve it.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Suzette Belliveau
