CANADA LOTTO WINNER TO DONATES ALL $40M PRIZE

Tom and wife Jan before her death

The Tom Baker Cancer Centre is the first recipient of winnings from the Calgary lottery player who won $40 million and pledged to give it all away.

Tom Crist said Monday he was planning to donate his winnings in honour of his wife, Jan, who died of cancer. The couple were married for 33 years when Jan passed away in February 2012.

On Tuesday, Crist gave $1.2 million to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, which collects donations for Calgary's Tom Baker Cancer Centre, where Jan was treated before her death.

Alberta Cancer Foundation CEO Myka Osinchuk first found out about Crist's intentions through media reports.

"My first thought this morning was ‘that’s amazing’; my second was: ‘I wonder if he knows what he’s done.'"

Osinchuk said they were all a bit stunned by the donation and very grateful.

"Whether the money goes to the Tom Baker or the cancer centre or any other worthy cause, I mean, this is just a man who should be congratulated," she said.

"You get a good feeling from it."

The $40-million prize is the largest ever for a Calgary winner.

Lottery corporation spokesperson Andrea Marantz said it's common for lottery winners to donate a portion of their prize, but donating the whole amount is rare.


"I think it's extraordinary. The idea of donating that large a sum of money is certainly beyond most people's ability to comprehend."