 Karen Hodgins, Dora Reame and Christina Tyhaar-Barnes had a winning Lotto 6/49 ticket in January but they and their co-workers at Powco steel company have yet to collect any of the $24.5 million because of an ongoing OLG and OPP investigation. (J.T. Mcveigh/Sun Media)
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BARRIE -- A dream of riches for 27 workers at the Powco steel company who hit the jackpot on a Lotto 6/49 draw has slowly turned into a nightmare.
Fists are flying, long-time workers have quit, and men who have worked together for years like brothers have quit their jobs because of conflict over who gets to claim a share of the big prize.
It started off with whoops of joy one morning last January when co-worker Ruby Rodriguez, who collected the money each week, came in to the plant while dancing a little jig as he held on to the $24.5- million winning ticket.
An hour later, the 27 piled on a bus and headed to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. offices in Toronto, leaving a handful of brooding workers who forgot to play that week.
"Hey, we're happy for them," said co-workers Nick Lymbertos and Jon Armstrong at the time.
But when the jovial winners got to Toronto they were told about a problem: A co-worker, Slawomia Howalewski, called from his vacation spot in Poland and insisted he should be in on the winnings.
The claim sparked an immediate investigation by the OLG and by the OPP.
A handful of other workers who apparently didn't play that week have also come forward to claim they should have a share in the winnings.
Now, 50 days later, winnings have yet to be paid and and bad feelings are rampant at the factory that manufactures street lights.
"It's been hell," said Travis Rommelaere, 36, one of the initial winners. "The OLG tells us we can't have our money -- and then they throw us all back in the plant and expect us to work together."
It's been so bad that he and seven other long-time employees -- experienced welders -- quit.
"We couldn't take the stress. It's constant fighting. I've lost 15 pounds," Rommelaere said.
Worse, he said, every worker was subject to police interrogation. "They treated us like criminals," he said.
Joe Mills, also one of the initial winners, quit because he couldn't take the constant bickering and even occasional threats.
"We were like a big family," Mills said. "We worked together. We sweat together. We broke bread together ... now there is just fighting. I couldn't take the crap anymore -- I had to quit. It's a sad shame."
Mills said there is no way Rodriguez would have cheated any of the workers out of their fair share of the winnings.
"That guy is as honest as honest could be," he said. In the beginning, Rodriguez would even front some co-workers ticket money, but had to cut that out when people didn't pay up.
"He finally made a rule -- if you don't pay, you don't play," Mills, 47, said.
Lisa Murray, spokesman with the OPP's gaming commission, says the case is still under investigation.
"There is no question it is a winning ticket," Murray said. "The tough part is trying to determine who gets to claim."
