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$55-million lotto winner in Sidney, B.C., plans to buy a new house with a dock

VICTORIA — Bookkeeper William Scott Gurney says he's sure he won't be back for another tax season. He doesn't have to after claiming the winning ticket on Tuesday for the $55-million Lotto Max draw on Feb. 28.
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Bookkeeper Williams Scott Gurney, seen in Victoria in a Tuesday, April 4, 2023, handout photo, is sure he won't be back for another tax season. He doesn't have to after buying the winning ticket for the $55 million Lotto Max draw on Feb. 28. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC Lottery Corporation, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

VICTORIA — Bookkeeper William Scott Gurney says he's sure he won't be back for another tax season. 

He doesn't have to after claiming the winning ticket on Tuesday for the $55-million Lotto Max draw on Feb. 28. 

Gurney, who's from Sidney on Vancouver Island, says news of the single winning ticket purchased locally was all over the radio, so he checked his Lotto App. 

He says he called in his assistant to confirm the number, which she originally thought was $55,000, but then they realized it was $55 million and couldn't do anything for the rest of the day. 

Gurney says he's taking some time to decide what's next, but he does plan to buy a new home on Vancouver Island, something with a dock, because he loves to go crabbing. 

For now, he says he's focused on finding someone to look after his clients before he retires from bookkeeping. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023. 

The Canadian Press