STTR staff wins $1 million: 'It's a bit unreal'

When Philippe Dufresne received a phone call from Yves Dupont telling him that their lottery group had just won a million dollars, he couldn't believe it immediately. But after validating the winning numbers in the April 16 Lotto Max draw, he ended up realizing that the group of 11 employees at Société de Transport de Trois-Rivières were actually millionaires.

The STTR supervisor was not the only one who responded with disbelief, as Yves Dupont points out. This early riser checked the winning combination more than once to ensure that the win was real. That's when he called the lucky winners at 7 a.m.

“I woke people up. I had to call people 10-12 times before they answered. The reactions were all: 'Are you serious?' 'Did you wake me up for nothing?' 'Did you really think I was going to call you at 7 in the morning for something stupid?' “Very happy.”

— Yves Dupont

The spirit was celebrating Tuesday afternoon at the Loto-Québec gaming hall in Trois-Rivières on the occasion of the presentation of the check. The 11-team group earned its first big district win of 2024 and their best win since tickets were purchased.

“We didn't win much. People always had the same phrase: 'When are we going to win?' When are we going to win?” “I wish I could hear that!” added Mr. DuPont, the leader of the group, laughing.

Each group member wins just over $90,000. For Mr. DuPont, this will be an opportunity to pamper himself a little and invest money for retirement. As for Mr. Dufresne, he intends to invest this money well, and he is the father of a young family.

Grandfather of three grandchildren, Jean-Jacques Tessier is now retired from STTR. He intends to spoil his grandchildren, but the money will also be used to slow his other half's pace toward retirement.

“We've been together for 36 years. I can't wait for him to be fully with me.”

Even if the group of 11 wins $1 million, there is no question of stopping buying lottery tickets. The group will remain intact even if colleagues wanted to join it within the last few days.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Roger 2 convenience store, on rue La Vérendrye, near the STTR offices, adjacent to News writer On Bellevue Street. The convenience store gets a commission of 1% of the amount, or $10,000.