Barry’s Bay native wins big

BARRY’S BAY – “That’s a good chunk of change,” said Basil Bielawski about his recent big win.

Bielawski won $539,657.50 in the 2016 CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery 50/50 draw.

“I’ve been buying tickets for 10-15 years and I got a big dividend out of it,” Bielawski said. “It was a big day yesterday. I’m still getting a lot of response from people.”

He was in Ottawa on January 11 to pick up his cheque, where he appeared live on CTV news.

The big win is not the only excitement in Bielawski’s life. He and his partner, Angela, are about to have a baby.

“Mom and dad have a few grandchildren already, but this is the first from their sons,” he explained.

Bielawski grew up in Barry’s Bay and now works for a car dealership in the west end of Ottawa.

He left Barry’s Bay when he was 18 years old for better job opportunities. 

Get your January 18, 2017 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full article.