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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht became emotional when he recalled how he immediately thought of his children and his grandchildren upon learning he\u2019d won the lottery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Thank goodness.\u2019 When the (employee) checked, she told me how much I won, and then I had to call my brother, who thought I was having a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manitoba\u2019s newest multimillionaire \u2014 a semi-retired truck driver \u2014 won the jackpot in the Lotto 6\/49 gold ball draw May 16. He was at his son and daughter-in-law\u2019s wedding when the draw was held that night.<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht bought and checked his lucky ticket at First Stop Grocers in Whitemouth, about 80 kilometres east of Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
Almost three weeks later, he still wasn\u2019t sure what to make of his financial freedom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve dreamt about this for the last 30 years I\u2019ve been buying tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very unreal feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve dreamt about this for the last 30 years I\u2019ve been buying tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Previously, his biggest win was $1,200.<\/p>\n
All smiles and giddy for most of the news conference, Giesbrecht became emotional and wiped away tears when he spoke of the good that can come from a life-changing jackpot.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thoughts went to my children and my grandchildren right away, that I would help them in life. That\u2019s more important than anything else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Giesbrecht wants to use the money to create a legacy for future generations of his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t blow it all, you guys,\u201d he said jokingly to relatives who joined him for the event.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n Earl Giesbrecht, a semi-retired truck driver, won $46 million, the fourth-largest lottery prize to be awarded in Manitoba.<\/p>\n Some of the money will be used to buy a new house and a new SUV for himself. He\u2019ll keep his 12-year-old pickup truck, despite it being \u201can old piece of junk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n His adult children are also getting new vehicles soon. He also plans to pay off his ex-wife\u2019s mortgage. A family vacation is in the works.<\/p>\n Giesbrecht has spoken to staff at a bank about a plan to manage the majority of his winnings. He plans to donate to charities, including cancer charities in memory of his late first wife, and to Whitemouth\u2019s fire department so it can buy a new water tanker, the target of current fundraising efforts.<\/p>\n There\u2019s one condition, however. Giesbrecht wants the department to nickname the vehicle \u201cBig E.\u201d<\/p>\n Deputy fire chief Carlin Giesbrecht said the department so far had about $100,000 of the roughly $700,000 needed to buy a new truck to replace one from the 1980s.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a small community, and something like this is greatly appreciated and helps us out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank Earl for his contributions to our community. We\u2019re a small community, and something like this is greatly appreciated and helps us out,\u201d said Carlin Giesbrecht, whose father is a cousin of the lottery winner.<\/p>\n Earl\u2019s win created a buzz in Whitemouth, which is home to about 400 people, when word quickly spread last month.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something you don\u2019t expect in a small community. Lots of people know him, and it\u2019s exciting times,\u201d Carlin said.<\/p>\n Earl\u2019s win is the fourth-largest lottery prize to be awarded in Manitoba. He said he was happy he won the eight-figure sum at his current age because he may not have spent it wisely in his younger years.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS <\/p>\n Giesbrecht says he plans to use some of the money to buy a new house and help his family financially.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019m old enough, and maybe I\u2019ve had enough life experience, that I will listen,\u201d Giesbrecht said.<\/p>\n Two $60-million Lotto Max jackpots were previously claimed in Winnipeg (by John and Jhoana Chua in 2021, and Randy and Janice Glays in 2023). Sagkeeng First Nation couple Marie and Kirby Fontaine won a $50-million Lotto Max draw in 2009.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cI think I\u2019m old enough, and maybe I\u2019ve had enough life experience, that I will listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Giesbrecht is the province\u2019s first gold ball winner since the draw was added in 2022 alongside 6\/49\u2019s classic draw, said the Western Canada Lottery Corp., a non-profit that operates the game for its members, including the Manitoba government.<\/p>\n Gerry Sul, president and chief executive officer of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, said Giesbrecht\u2019s gold ball jackpot win was \u201ca long time coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday, we\u2019re all going to witness a dream turning into reality,\u201d he told a small audience before the winner was introduced at WCLC\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Chris Kitching Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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