Former RBC executive wins $25 million lottery jackpot

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A lucky former Royal Bank of Canada executive is taking home the top prize in an Ontario lottery.

Charles Coffey, 81, worked at Canada’s largest lender for over 44 years in banking and human resources, eventually rising to executive vice president of government affairs and business development.

Coffey’s initial reaction to seeing his winning ticket: “That’s interesting!” He believed he’d won C$25,000, according to a news release by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. But when Coffey grabbed his glasses for a closer look, he realized he’d missed three extra zeroes — in his hand was the ticket to the C$25 million jackpot.

Coffey, a New Brunswick native, was a longtime advocate for marginalized groups, for which he was awarded the Order of Canada in 2003. Coffey encouraged large corporations to donate a share of their profits to charity and supported foundations for children’s education, according to the Governor General’s website.

“This win gives me the opportunity to sustainably support the causes I have championed for decades,” Coffey said in the OLG statement. “I believe in the premise of a hand-up versus a handout and want to support organizations that need a stronger voice.”

But first, he said, he’s going to take his family on vacation.

In 1989, Coffey moved from RBC’s Toronto headquarters to lead the bank’s Manitoba operations in Winnipeg. That was when he began his advocacy for Indigenous people, speaking up about social and economic issues and eventually being named an honorary chief, according to the University of Winnipeg. Upon his retirement in 2006, RBC created the Coffey Fund to continue his support for Indigenous children’s education.

Coffey couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.