Long-time Orillia lottery player hits the jackpot
Paul Cousineau of Orillia won $5 million in the Lotto 6/49 Classic Jackpot on March 19.
'It was a regular day when I decided to pick up a ticket at my usual store. I've been buying my tickets there for years,' he said.
Cousineau said he didn't check his tickets immediately. 'I waited about four weeks. By then, I had over 20 tickets to check,' he said.
When he finally went to the store to validate his ticket, the lottery terminal froze. 'I remained calm and carried on with my day,' he said.
When asked how it feels to win the lottery, Cousineau said, 'It's absolutely surreal. I'm overjoyed and shaking. All the anticipation I've felt has led to this moment, and it's a dream come true.'
To keep the news under wraps before making a big announcement to his family, Paul deliberately downplayed his win, even when his grandson questioned him.
'Unexpectedly, my grandson checked my ticket and asked, 'Did you win the jackpot?' I told him, 'No, but I won $5,000!''
'I wanted to keep my win a secret until I had the cheque in hand. Now, I have a big reveal planned for our family barbecue.'
There is a bittersweet element to his win.
Cousineau said the past year has been a difficult time for him.
'I lost my wife last year. Her dream was to take an Alaskan cruise, and I want to honour that by going on one for my 52nd birthday this fall.
'I'll have her urn with me, so in a way, she'll be with me on this trip.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Canada is running out of runway for its F-35 review
Social Sharing There was an interesting — albeit brief — recent eruption of clarity in the ongoing saga of whether Canada intends to proceed with the full order of American-made F-35 fighters. It was courtesy of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, who perhaps spoke the quiet part out loud last week in an interview with Canadian independent podcaster Jasmin Laine. Hoekstra, a no-nonsense Republican from Michigan, was asked about the Liberal government's review of the $27.7-billion purchase of stealth fighters and the possibility that after delivery of the first tranche of jets, Canada could decide to fill the rest of its order with another type of aircraft. "You can't afford two fighters, two different fighter jet programs," said Hoekstra. "Canada should just decide what they want. Do they want F-35s? Do they want some other product? That's your decision to make, but you can't afford both of them." But then, he added that the ongoing review is "an irritant that makes it harder to get to a [trade] agreement." It's not much of a stretch to suggest that few Canadian tears would be shed over the notion that the Trump administration is irritated by the uncertainty. But the fact he's said so publicly is significant and it represents an interesting escalation from earlier remarks that suggested not buying the F-35s would endanger NORAD, the binational defence pact with the United States. What's even more potentially entertaining is the lengths to which everyone on the Canadian side has twisted themselves into pretzels to downplay the notion that the fighter jet program is being used as a significant piece of leverage in negotiations with Washington. Speaking on CBC Radio's The House last weekend, the country's top military commander, Gen. Jennie Carignan portrayed the review as a prudent, business-as-usual, due diligence exercise. "With the new government coming into place, it's perfectly normal," Carignan said. "There's a request to ensure that our processes are still valid, that we are getting what we need." With any other major defence purchase, that might be a reasonable argument. But the F-35 has been — over 15 years of political drama — the subject of enormous study. Parliamentary watchdogs, an independent panel and a legion of experts have lined up to analyze, slice, dice and dissect the plan. One wonders what more can be said that couldn't be found in a ministerial transition briefing book. The review has been going on since the early spring and with so much information already at their fingertips, the question of what the political impact might be only gets larger as time goes on. Retired vice-admiral Mark Norman, also speaking on The House last weekend, said there's obvious "trepidation" and consideration of "what kind of blowback reaction" there could be in Washington should Canada opt to shop elsewhere. Others argue that the tantrums of Trump and the irritation of his administration shouldn't dictate Canadian defence policy. "I think the Trump administration will decide if they wish to punish us or not based on whatever current thought of the moment is in the heads of the president and his key advisers," said Wendy Gilmour, a Canadian former assistant secretary general for defence investment at NATO. "I think Canada needs to make the best decisions it can for our own interests." And that's what makes the specifics of what, precisely, the Department of National Defence has been told to review so crucial. When you ask for the terms of reference or even the obstacles and costs of running two fleets of fighters, more often than not, you get boilerplate responses about spending wisely and the scope of the enormous investment. "The nature of aerial combat, the nature of warfare, the nature of our responsibilities, the scale of our investment — all of those elements have changed over the course of recent years," Prime Minister Mark Carney said a couple of weeks ago, while announcing a military pay increase. "We also need the appropriate air capabilities for the Arctic, for the runways in the Arctic, for the threats that we're faced in the Arctic … is the F-35 best suited for that?" The security risks for Canada The contract to buy the F-35 was announced in January 2023 and one would hope the debate about Arctic operations would have been long settled before that. It's important considering, as the Ottawa Citizen reported last month, construction of new hangar and infrastructure facilities to house the F-35s is about to get underway at the military's principal fighter bases in Cold Lake, Alta., and Bagotville, Que. Interestingly, the one non-political aspect of the F-35 deal that would provide an important, logical rationale for a review is the one nobody wants to discuss publicly: the potential national security risks to Canada. Buying the F-35 makes the Canadian air force dependent on the U.S. for software and repair, which has the potential to create delays in deployment and affect operational readiness. It was an issue that raised its head briefly after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office last winter and suggested allies could end up with less capable versions of the aircraft. It could also be argued that the escalating costs (with the purchase estimate for 88 aircraft, including weapons and training, going from $19 billion to $27 billion), would justify an urgent review. Defence Minister David McGuinty, however, suggested last week the government would take its "lead from the experts that performed the review, both in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces." WATCH | Cost of F-35 program balloons: F-35 costs skyrocketing, not enough pilots to fly them: AG report 2 months ago A new Auditor General's report finds the cost of buying U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighter jets has ballooned almost 50 per cent from an estimated $19 billion to $27.7 billion — and that's without the additional cost of weapons and infrastructure. The program is also facing a shortage of trained pilots. As if there was any doubt about where the military stands, there was a pretty clear indication with a recent report by Reuters, based upon sources, which said the air force was recommending sticking with the F-35. Carney was clear that no decision had been made and that it would be sometime in the late summer or early fall before the review would be considered. Playing politics with defence purchases is nothing new in Canada, but Norman argues that given the state of the world, the military can't afford games and uncertainty, especially with the current CF-18s rapidly approaching the end of their useful life. "What we need to be careful of is that we don't inadvertently — or perhaps for superficial political reasons — make what I would characterize as dumb decision," Norman said.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
BUZZ High Performance Computing, a Subsidiary of HIVE Digital Technologies LTD. Partners with Bell Canada to Deliver Advanced Sovereign NVIDIA AI Infrastructure for Canada
This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's amended and restated prospectus supplement dated May 14, 2025, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated September 11, 2024. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 19, 2025) - BUZZ High Performance Computing ("BUZZ HPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: HIVE) (NASDAQ: HIVE) (FSE: YO0) (the "Company" or "HIVE"), a Canadian AI cloud provider and NVIDIA Cloud Partner, today announced that on August 3 it had signed a preferred partnership with Bell Canada, the country's largest telecommunications provider 1, to deliver one of Canada's largest sovereign AI ecosystems through Bell AI Fabric. BUZZ HPC will provide Bell's government and enterprise customers with access to NVIDIA Ampere, NVIDIA Hopper, and NVIDIA Blackwell GPU clusters, scalable over NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking. BUZZ HPC's large-scale NVIDIA accelerated computing infrastructure, purpose-built for AI, machine learning, and scientific computing, will be integrated with Bell AI Fabric's advanced fibre network, data centres, and partner ecosystem, including Cohere. This combined capability supports a range of use cases, including developing AI foundational models and fine-tuning existing models all within Canada. By expanding accelerated computing infrastructure across multiple provinces, the collaboration ensures true nationwide reach. Canadian innovators will gain access to high performing NVIDIA accelerated computing, hosted in secure, Canadian-owned facilities that comply with strict data residency and cybersecurity regulations. "Sovereign is the new standard for cloud computing, and this partnership with Bell marks the beginning of a new era for AI innovation in Canada, with NVIDIA-accelerated infrastructure deployed domestically and a global footprint serving international customers, we are uniquely positioned to help Canada lead in AI while protecting its digital independence." - Frank Holmes, Executive Chairman, BUZZ HPC "BUZZ and Bell are sovereign by design, built to protect privacy and deliver trusted performance for innovators of all kinds. As a sovereign AI provider and NVIDIA Cloud Partner, our integration with Bell AI Fabric ensures secure, scalable access to accelerated computing across Canada empowering innovators to build globally competitive AI while maintaining full control over their data." - Craig Tavares, President and COO, BUZZ HPC "BUZZ HPC is one of the few Canadian cloud service providers with a purpose-built AI cloud that has experience operating GPU clusters at scale. We are excited to partner with BUZZ HPC for its AI infrastructure solutions - an important layer in the Bell AI Fabric ecosystem delivering the advanced workloads our customers need in a sovereign, private and secure Canadian facility." - John Watson, Group President, Business Markets, AI and Ateko, Bell "Sovereign AI infrastructure provides Canada's industries with essential computing to grow productivity, foster innovation and create economic opportunities. BUZZ HPC's NVIDIA infrastructure provides a high-performance AI computing backbone to drive innovation through Bell AI Fabric." - Dave Salvator, Director, Accelerated Computing, NVIDIA Launching later this year, BUZZ HPC's infrastructure will begin with a 5 MW deployment in Manitoba, followed by expansion into other Bell AI Fabric data centres. These deployments are designed to support a wide range of national objectives: Secure, sovereign AI: Data and compute infrastructure remain entirely within Canadian-owned facilities, ensuring full compliance with national residency and privacy laws. Nationwide access to advanced AI tools: Cutting-edge NVIDIA accelerated computing and high-speed networking deployed across multiple provinces, starting with Manitoba. Enhanced innovation and competitiveness: Enables Canadian businesses, researchers, and governments to build world-class AI solutions locally while maintaining global competitiveness. Sustainable, scalable growth: Green energy-powered infrastructure designed for long-term expansion supports an eco-conscious path to AI development. This partnership forms a comprehensive AI solution for the Bell AI Fabric ecosystem. BUZZ HPC provides the foundational hardware layer for large-scale AI workloads; Cohere delivers customized large language models; Ateko brings specialized professional services; and Bell offers Canada's most advanced network and data centre backbone all working together to accelerate Canada's leadership in artificial intelligence. About BUZZ HPC BUZZ High Performance Computing (BUZZ HPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. (TSXV: HIVE) and an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, delivers enterprise-grade cloud services and large-scale NVIDIA GPU clusters. The platform supports a suite of managed services, including Kubernetes, Slurm, virtual machines, and bare-metal deployments optimized for AI, machine learning, and scientific workloads. Headquartered in Canada with a global reach, BUZZ HPC is one of the first and few Canadian sovereign AI platforms operating at scale. Since 2017, it has deployed supercomputing environments across Canada and the Nordics. Its Tier 3+ data centres powered entirely by renewable energy and engineered with ultra-low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) host thousands of industrial-grade GPUs across North America and Europe used for AI model training, fine-tuning and inference. Through its Green GPU initiative, BUZZ HPC combines AI innovation with sustainability, offering localized expertise and global infrastructure. Learn more at For further information, please contact: Craig Tavares, BUZZ HPC President and COO Tel: (604) 664-1078 About Bell Bell is Canada's largest communications company, 1 providing advanced broadband Internet, wireless, TV, media and business communication services. Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit or Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic prosperity of our communities. This includes the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit 1 Based on total revenue and total combined customer connections. About HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. Founded in 2017, HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. builds and operates sustainable blockchain and AI infrastructure powered by renewable hydroelectric energy. With a global footprint across Canada, Sweden, and Paraguay, HIVE is committed to operational excellence, green energy leadership, and creating long-term value for its shareholders and host communities. For more information, visit and Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Information Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which may include but is not limited to statements regarding: the anticipated benefits of the partnership between BUZZ HPC and Bell Canada; the expected deployment, timing, capacity, and expansion of BUZZ HPC's NVIDIA-accelerated infrastructure; the potential impact on Canadian AI innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth; compliance with privacy, cybersecurity, and data residency regulations; the use of renewable energy; and any other future-oriented statements. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections, as well as management's beliefs and assumptions, including that the partnership will proceed as planned, infrastructure will be deployed on the expected timelines and within budget, demand for AI computing will continue to grow, and regulatory requirements will remain consistent with current expectations, and other related risks as more fully set out in the Company's disclosure documents under the Company's filings at and Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the risk that deployment timelines may change; that costs may exceed expectations; that demand for AI infrastructure may be lower than anticipated; that partnerships or regulatory approvals may not materialize as expected; and the risk factors described in the Company's continuous disclosure documents available on SEDAR+ at Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Men at addictions recovery centre build motorcycle to raise money
Several men at the Discovery House Recovery centre in Penticton, B.C., are building new skills and supporting their community. For months, they worked on building a motorcycle, to raise funds and honour the home's former executive director, Jerome Abraham.
