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‘Surreal’: B.C. woman sharing $5M lottery win with sister, who quit her job

Heather Andrews had to wait hours to tell her sister, who lives on the east coast
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Heather Andrews and her sister Gwen Leeder won $5 million from the Oct. 21, 2023 Lotto 6/49 draw. (BCLC photo)

A Sidney woman and her sister are sharing a huge lottery win.

Heather Andrews and her sister Gwen Leeder won $5 million from the Oct. 21, 2023 Lotto 6/49 draw. Andrews found out first, but had to wait to tell Leeder because she lives in Stittsville, Ont. and was already asleep.

“I was at home watching TV and thought I should check my ticket,” said Andrews, in a news release. “I looked at the ticket and checked (online) two or three times and then sent the picture to Gwen and called her (in the morning) — we started laughing.”

The sisters were most excited to celebrate the news with each other — in fact, no one else knew about their win besides Leeder’s daughter.

Some lottery winners continue to work at their regular jobs, but not Leeder – she was happy to quit her job and enjoyed handing in her resignation letter to her employer.

The sisters now plan to explore Canada’s east coast together. Otherwise, the two plan to help family and close friends.

On how it feels to win?

“Overwhelming, surreal and fantastic,” said Leeder. “Our dream was to travel together.”

Andrews purchased the winning ticket at the Pharmasave on Seventh Street in Sidney.

The sisters claimed their $5-million jackpot on Nov. 6 at BCLC’s Vancouver office.

So far in 2023, B.C. lottery players have redeemed more than $100 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.

READ MORE: Victoria man wins $2.5 million lottery prize



Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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