Lotto luck shines for another Albertan who lost Fort Mac home

EDMONTON Another Albertan who lost a home in Fort McMurray has had a change of luck, winning a luxury condo and an Italian sports car in an Edmonton hospital fundraising lottery.

Michael Marchand was shopping for flowers when a representative from the Full House Lottery phoned on Wednesday to tell him he’d won the early-bird draw.

The condo has a view of Rogers Place arena, and the car is a Maserati GranTurismo MC.

A video of Marchand being told he had won was posted on the lottery’s Facebook page.

After exclaiming disbelief that the call was actually real, Marchand said that he’d lost his home last year in Fort McMurray.

Chris Flett, who lost his home in the Fort McMurray wildfire in May 2016, also came up a winner late last year, taking home more than $400,000 in a Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation lottery.

The Full House Lottery supports the Royal Alexandra and University Hospital organizations in Edmonton.

“This is real, right?” Marchand can be heard saying over a speaker phone.

“You know, I lost my home in Fort McMurray, so this is amazing.”

The revelation clearly surprised the hospital foundation representative.

“Oh my goodness,” she replied.

The car and condo are worth $656,873.

The fire, nicknamed “the beast,” began burning deep in the bush about May 1 and spread into the northern Alberta city on May 3, forcing 88,000 people from their homes for a month or more.

In all, almost 2,600 dwellings were destroyed.