Photo: Life just got better for Mega Million Choices Lottery grand prize winner, Rose-Marie Beaulieu, and her husband, Phillippe Beaulieu.
April 14, 2025
One family’s life was changed with a phone call on March 27 informing them they were Manitoba’s newest millionaires.
Rose-Marie Beaulieu, of Winnipeg, won the St. Boniface Hospital Mega Million Choices Lottery Grand Prize and chose the $1.25 million tax-free cash payout.
“It seemed too good to be true. I thought to myself, ‘is this a scam?’,” recalled Beaulieu. “It was surreal, and my brain kept trying to understand what I was hearing.”
She said if she could sum up her first reaction to that phone call, it was disbelief.
Lifelong ties to the community
They know first-hand the impact that our Hospital has in the community surrounding it. Beaulieu and her husband, Phillippe, were both born at St. Boniface Hospital, as were their three children. They both have close ties to St. Boniface, having been raised in the area, getting married in the neighborhood, and having their children here. After living in St. Norbert, the family moved back to St. Boniface where Beaulieu worked in Development at Université de Saint-Boniface for 25 years.
Wanting to make a difference while having a chance at good luck, the Beaulieus have been buying tickets to both the Mega Million Choices Lottery and the Tri-Hospital Dream Lottery for over a decade.
Karen Fowler, Foundation President and CEO, emphasized the difference that all ticket buyers make at the Hospital. “St. B is a special place, and it’s because of supporters of programs like this Lottery that we can say that,” said Fowler. We have programs and care in place that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”
When asked what she plans to do with their unexpected winnings, Beaulieu said they were still processing it all. The first plan was to share some with their children and grandchildren. “And for us, we would love to do a train trip across the country – visit a bit in British Columbia,” she added.
Beaulieu plans to continue the tradition of buying lottery tickets, and she plans to add their names to the amazing community of annual donors to the Foundation who make a difference at St. B.
50/50 Plus Jackpot winners “had some butterflies”
Meanwhile, Peter and Gisèle Lodewyks, of St. Norbert, thought they were pretty lucky after they snagged a $100 London Drugs gift card in the St. B Mega Million Choices Lottery draw this year.
That was, until Karen Fowler called on March 27 to let them know they had also won the 50/50 Plus Jackpot worth more than $724,000!
“Unbelievable. It was overwhelming to get that call,” remembered Peter, a retired project manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada. “Afterwards, we were like, ‘What just happened?’”
“Then we called our kids,” added Gisèle, a retired federal government employee. “You have to share that joy with somebody! It was so exciting.”
Loyal St. B ticket buyers for “about 10 to 12 years,” Peter had bought their Mega Million Choices Lottery and 50/50 Plus numbers early this year. “I was hoping to cash in on one of the Early Bird Bonus Prizes. We just wanted to win one of those new cars,” he said.
Peter admitted he was nervous coming to the Foundation office with his extended family to pick up the 50/50 Plus Jackpot cheque. “I had some butterflies! It’s a lot to take in, and a lot to think about.”
“We have a big family of three kids and 10 grandchildren. We will certainly help them out,” he mused. “We would like to do some home renovations. We might buy that new car – I guess it’s feasible!”