Monday, February 2, 2026
ADVT 
National

Thanksgiving gravy train: Edmonton couple wins $30M on harvest holiday weekend

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Oct, 2014 11:22 AM
  • Thanksgiving gravy train: Edmonton couple wins $30M on harvest holiday weekend

ST. ALBERT, Alta. - An Edmonton couple had plenty to be thankful for on the Thanksgiving weekend after winning a lottery jackpot worth almost $31 million.

But Joan and Wade Lidkea (LIHD'-kee) didn't let on at the family dinner because they wanted to confirm the Oct. 10 winning Lotto Max numbers first.

The couple are the latest winners in an Alberta lucky lotto streak that has yielded 38 million-plus jackpots so far this year worth more than $172 million.

Joan was checking their tickets the morning after the draw and was down to the last set of numbers.

She realized she had them all right.

But Wade joked that she must be reading them wrong.

“He came into the room and took a look and said, ‘Yes, yes, you do have them all!’” she said as the couple was introduced Thursday.

“I wanted to throw up. And then we both started shaking.”

“I got sweaty hands and I didn’t know what to do,” Wade said.

The Lidkeas have played a certain set of numbers for years, but the winning ducat turned out to be a quick pick.

In July, three couples in Alberta claimed two Lotto 6-49 prizes of $7 million and $18 million and a Lotto Max jackpot of $50 million — all within one week.

The $50-million winners had won in December, but didn't come forward for seven months.

MORE National ARTICLES

Luka Magnotta First-degree Murder Trial Hears From Harper's Deputy Chief Of Staff

Luka Magnotta First-degree Murder Trial Hears From Harper's Deputy Chief Of Staff
CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT MAY DISTURB SOME READERS   MONTREAL — Prime Minister Stephen Harper's deputy chief of staff testified at Luka Rocco Magnotta's first-degree murder trial on Monday about the day her office received a parcel containing the foot of victim Jun Lin.

Luka Magnotta First-degree Murder Trial Hears From Harper's Deputy Chief Of Staff

A Glimpse Behind The Public-health Scenes Should Ebola Virus Arrive In Canada

A Glimpse Behind The Public-health Scenes Should Ebola Virus Arrive In Canada
OTTAWA - A man who recently travelled to Sierra Leone walked into a southern Ontario hospital last week, feeling unwell. Four minutes later, he was in quarantine and being tested for the Ebola virus. Those tests on the patient in Belleville proved negative.

A Glimpse Behind The Public-health Scenes Should Ebola Virus Arrive In Canada

Tug Boat Arrives To Help Disabled Russian Cargo Ship Off B.C. Coast

Tug Boat Arrives To Help Disabled Russian Cargo Ship Off B.C. Coast
OLD MASSETT, B.C. - A large tug boat arrived Saturday night to hook onto a Russian cargo ship adrift off the British Columbia coast, calming fears that the ship might drift ashore and cause an environmental disaster.

Tug Boat Arrives To Help Disabled Russian Cargo Ship Off B.C. Coast

Fire Out At Saskatchewan Gas Facility

Fire Out At Saskatchewan Gas Facility
PRUDHOMME, Sask. - A fire that burned for almost a week at a natural gas pumping station in Saskatchewan is finally out, but affected residents are still waiting for the all-clear before they can return home.

Fire Out At Saskatchewan Gas Facility

Canada To Start Shipping Experimental Ebola Vaccine On Monday, Government Says

Canada To Start Shipping Experimental Ebola Vaccine On Monday, Government Says
OTTAWA - The federal government says Canada will start shipping its experimental Ebola vaccine to the World Health Organization on Monday.

Canada To Start Shipping Experimental Ebola Vaccine On Monday, Government Says

Gonzalo Could Make Landfall In Southeastern Newfoundland Early Sunday

Gonzalo Could Make Landfall In Southeastern Newfoundland Early Sunday
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The Canadian Hurricane Centre is warning that Gonzalo could still be hurricane strength by the time it reaches southeastern Newfoundland early Sunday.

Gonzalo Could Make Landfall In Southeastern Newfoundland Early Sunday