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28 workers at Polytechnique Montréal split $5 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot

Polytechnique Montréal may soon be facing a retention crisis — that’s because 28 of its current and former workers just split a $5 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot.

Diane Morneau, from the Laurentides region, is in charge of the group that was created some 10 years ago at the suggestion of her colleague, Caroline Soo.

Soo said, “I want to play with you!” And that’s how “le groupe à Didi” came into being. Didi” herself is the one who checked the ticket and found out it was a winning one.

“Only after I scanned the ticket over 20 times did I realize it was well and truly $5 million,” she said. “We’re still astonished.”

Aline Racine, who joined the group when it was created, learned the great news over the phone. “Looks like we won, and we’ll be sharing $5,000,000,” a colleague told her before sending her a screenshot of the ticket.

The news made the rounds very quickly at the office. Caroline Soo was thrilled to be on-site to share the moment’s happiness with the rest of the group, according to a press release from Loto-Québec.

Olivier St-Germain-Lavoie, another group member, said: “My phone rang all the time that day. I was travelling, so I ignored the calls.” He found out about the win through a videoconference. “I thought it was a joke at first. But I was speechless when Caroline showed me the validation slip on-screen.”

The 28 winners each get one share of $178,571 of the $5,000,000 jackpot. Among other things, they plan to spoil their children, do some renovations and travel — Morneau in Québec and Soo in Portugal.