Calgary Transit employees decide to sell luxury home they won in lottery

CALGARY — What would you do if $200,000 fell into your lap?

 

 That’s the question facing five Calgary Transit employees after they won the STARS Home Lottery show home, valued $1.1 million in the westside community of Crestmont, just over a month ago.
On Monday transit workers Emmanuel Caissie, Frank Nocera, Dean Hagen, Mike Dupanovic and Radisan Blagojevic took possession of the completely furnished, 2,600-square-feet, bi-level home.

After deciding it was impractical for the five of them to move into the house, they decided to sell, with each man the possibility to walk away with around $200,000. they spent just $250 on lottery tickets for the home.
Hagen said he hopes the money will make a good down payment on a new house, while Nocera said he plans to start an education fund for his six-year-old daughter.
The person who stands to walk away with the most is Caissie, who said he is pondering the idea of retirement after 23 years with Calgary Transit.
“It’s pretty obvious we would have to sell it,” said Nocera, “but we just looked at it more like an investment.”
The group members, who have each spent at least 13 years with Calgary Transit, have been buying charity lottery tickets together for years, including the Foothills Hospital Lottery, Kinsmen Lotto for the Children’s Hospital, and the Peter Lougheed Hospital Lottery.
“We like supporting all these events because it goes to a good cause and that’s what we are happy about,” said Nocera.
They have never walked away with more than a radio or phone, something they had a draw to decide who would take it home.
“This is awesome, but we never expect to win; it’s all about a good cause,” said Hagen.
This time, however, it was Caissie who took the phone call from STARS with the life-changing message.
“It was a complete surprise,” said Caissie.
At work the same day, Hagen was given the news.
“He told me that we won the STARS home, but I didn’t believe him,” said Hagen. “But when he came in on his holidays, he’s not going to show up in the shop unless it’s something important.
“It took about 20 minutes before it sank in . . . then I asked for the day off and went home.”

For the STARS air ambulance service, this year’s lottery generated more than $10 million that will go directly to support its operations. Last year, it participated in 1,453 emergency calls across Alberta and eastern B.C.

Source http://www.vancouversun.com/