Two dog moms from the Far North win big lottery Encore prize

Northern Ont.'s August Lotto Max jackpot winners A couple in their 30s from Iroquois Falls won Aug. 20's $70 million Lotto Max Jackpot. Lydia Chubak shares their story.

Sept. 13 became a lucky day for two women from the remote First Nation community of Kashechewan after winning a big lottery prize.

Christine Head and Sheila Friday have been playing the lottery together for the last two years and won $100,000 last month after matching six of seven Encore numbers in exact order.

Because they live in the Far North near the James Bay Coast, the pair said they usually buy advanced play tickets for the Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49 draws and always add the extra Encore to their tickets, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. said in a news release.

Friday told lottery officials that when she saw 'Big Winner' on the app while checking their ticket she was in disbelief.

"I thought, 'Is this real? That looks like $100,000," she said.

"I sent Christine a screenshot from my phone and the excitement started to build."

Head had the same question once Friday got a hold of her, "Is this real?"

"I couldn’t believe it," she said.

"I was excited and in disbelief at the same time. Of course, we always hoped to win big, but never thought it would happen. It’s surreal."

Over the years the pair of self-described dog moms would talk about winning with Head always saying "if we win" and Friday saying "when we win."

"We feel happy and are fully settled into the reality of this win. This is a life-enhancing prize," Friday said.

As for their plans to spend their new windfall, the women plan to pay some bills and take a trip.

"We’d love to treat ourselves to a relaxing beach vacation with lots of sunshine," they told lottery officials.

Their winning ticket was bought at 101 Mall Variety on Pine Street in Timmins.