Paramedic wins Timmins hospital 50-50 with last-minute ticket purchase
A last-minute decision to purchase tickets for Timmins and District Hospital Foundation's 50-50 draw for May turned out to be lucky for a northern Ontario paramedic.
Sylvie Verreault of Earlton bought $20 in tickets 90 minutes before the deadline on Thursday and won the $137,690 jackpot.
Sylvie Verreault, a paramedic from Earlton, and her family won the May 50/50 cash lottery (Timmins and Area District Hospital Foundation)
"That’s the second winner in a row from the tri-towns who bought lucky tickets on the last night," the foundation said in a news release Monday.
After the draw on Friday morning, foundation staff had a hard time reaching her to tell her the good news.
"We called five times, left a voicemail and sent an email," the foundation said.
"Shortly after 1 p.m., she returned our call and we were able to share the fantastic news."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Both Verreault and her husband are paramedics giving them "a unique perspective on all that hospitals do and the importance of raising money in order for the hospital to continue to provide the highest standard of care to patients."
When asked what she would do with the money, she said she is going to buy a vehicle.
Tickets for the June draw are already available and proceeds will go to support the operating room.
OTHER NORTHERN HOSPITAL DRAWS
The deadlines to purchase tickets for the Sault and Sudbury hospital 50-50s are May 31.
The Health Sciences North jackpot is more than $545,395 and the Sault Area Hospital jackpot is more than $67,000.
In North Bay, the hospital's 50-50 draw takes place every two months, with the next draw happening June 30. The current jackpost is worth more than $52,000.
The SAH April jackpot winner was Dominic Nicoletta, who won $90,590.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Trio wins Nobel Prize in chemistry for quantum dots, tiny colourful particles we can't see
Three scientists in the United States won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots -- particles just a few atoms in diameter that can release very bright coloured light and whose applications in everyday life include electronics and medical imaging.
U.K. police open a corporate manslaughter investigation into a hospital where a nurse killed 7 babies
British police have opened an investigation into corporate manslaughter at a northern England hospital after a neonatal nurse was convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others when she worked there, authorities said Wednesday.
Mould halts in-person visits at Newfoundland's notorious, rodent-infested jail
Inmates at Newfoundland's oldest and largest provincial jail say the facility's visiting room has been condemned because of mould.
Canadian condo sales falling amid concerns over interest rate hikes
Amid consistent interest rate hikes and wavering markets, Canadian condo sales are starting to fall in all but two markets in the nation, according to a new report from Re/Max.
Parents want arrest after son 'deliberately kicked' in neck during Edmonton hockey game
A Junior C hockey player says he is lucky to be alive after his neck was sliced open by a hockey skate last week in an act his parents believe – and the referee ruled – was an intentional kick.
Indian police arrest a news site's editor and administrator after raiding homes of journalists
Police in New Delhi have arrested the editor of a news website and one of its administrators after raiding the homes of journalists working for the site, which has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist-led government.
NDP to form majority government following historic Manitoba election
Wab Kinew’s New Democratic Party is projected to have enough seats in the Manitoba Legislature to form a majority government, taking the helm after two consecutive terms of a majority Tory regime.
Firefighters work until dawn to clear wreckage of bus crash that killed 21 people in Venice
A bus carrying dozens of people plummeted 15 metres from an elevated road in Venice, causing a fiery crash that killed 21 people and injured at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby campsite.
OPINION Some of the key impacts AI is having on our everyday finances
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, its uses and applications grow even wider. Many people are already using tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google's Bard or Bing Chat to help them write emails, research new subjects and brainstorm business names.