UPDATE: Barriere man $1 million richer after Christmas Eve lottery win

KAMLOOPS – A Barriere man is celebrating after a surprise Christmas Eve present.

Retired Vancouver firefighter Kelvin Fadear, 76, has claimed a $1 million prize in the Dec. 24 Lotto 6/49 draw. He drove to Kamloops today, Jan. 4, to collect his cheque and spend a some time at the B.C. Lottery Corporation headquarters.

Fadear wasn't certain of his win right away. After checking the numbers online 10 times he says he called his neighbours over to confirm the win.

"They came over the next morning," he says. "You need that when you don’t believe something."

While it's a big payday for him, he says the majority of the winnings will go to his kids.

Fadear says he's lived in Barriere for 20 years after leaving Vancouver to retire to the much quieter Thompson-area town. He spends time fishing, hunting and playing the lottery.

"I play for something to do," he says. "I'm going to see if I can’t win another one."

He’s was probably the last big lottery winner in the Thompson-Okanagan in 2016.

— This story was updated at 2:10 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 to add comments from Fedear.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.