Our Story – Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw
Thunder Bay 50/50: Our Story
From a pandemic pivot to over $100 million awarded. Today, the Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw is the biggest monthly 50/50 draw in Canada — and one of the biggest, full stop. But it didn't start out that way. This is the incredible story of the people behind the scenes, and some of the many millionaires it's made.
It all started with a pandemic.
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation is renowned in Northwestern Ontario for its wide range of fun and engaging fundraising events. From motorcycle rides to golf tournaments, from theme dinners to game shows, Foundation events are the social events of the year for thousands of residents.
That all stopped in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone into lockdown. Some events moved online. Others had to be cancelled altogether.
For the Foundation, COVID was a crucible. The organization had to find new ways to raise funds so patients in Northwestern Ontario would continue to get the best care here possible.
"It was our pivot moment. Cancer, heart attacks, disease — none of these stopped just because COVID started. We needed to find a way to continue supporting healthcare programs at our Hospital, or patients would suffer."
It had to be a simple idea, and it had to be something everyone could access online. A 50/50 draw seemed like the perfect solution.
Less than a year after COVID shut everything down, the Foundation launched the Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw on January 13, 2021. That first draw guaranteed a minimum $5,000 with two Early Bird Draws of $500 each. Although nobody at the Foundation quite knew what to expect, staff quietly felt that if they reached $100,000, they would call it a good day.
Seems laughable now, when you consider where things ended up that month.
"We might be on to something here."
Those were heady days. After about two weeks, the Grand Prize was already over $210,000 — and there were still four weeks to go.
"I'm a bit surprised, but I'm also not surprised," Glenn told TBNewswatch at the time. "I'm surprised it's gone up so quickly, but I also know Thunder Bay is a really great community and would really support an initiative like this."
Someone should have told Glenn, "Well, buckle up — because it's about to rocket."
Over the next few weeks, the Grand Prize kept growing and growing and growing. It seemed to catch the imagination of Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. Perhaps it represented hope at a time when people were cooped up at home and feeling low. Perhaps it was something to talk about during those Zoom parties that were gaining popularity.
Whatever it was, the result was incredible: that inaugural Grand Prize Draw came just short of a million dollars. Paulette Howe and Suzanne Gribben from Thunder Bay were its first winners, taking home $965,715.
"We might be on to something here."
Glenn didn't know the half of it yet.
Add an "S" to that "million", please.
Glenn was right. The Thunder Bay 50/50 became an instant success and the talk of the town as interest grew throughout 2021. CBC News, TBNewswatch and other outlets all covered the surprising success of the Draw.
For the first several months, that inaugural February Draw was the largest. That changed in December, when the Thunder Bay 50/50 also became the hottest Christmas stocking stuffer. As it turned out, the Draw's first millionaire was also its first multi-millionaire. David Kamande of Thunder Bay won $2,340,035 as the December Grand Prize winner.
"This couldn't have come at a better time. I've had to have an MRI scan, and know that some of the 50/50 funds are helping to purchase a new one — that's why I bought a ticket. New equipment will help everyone who needs the Hospital."
It capped what was an incredible year of prizes beyond anyone's wildest imagination. By that point, it was already the largest hospital 50/50 in Canada.
And then, it kept growing.
A new in-person experience.
December 2022 saw a few new firsts — including the very first pop-up store, set up in the Food Court of the Intercity Shopping Centre.
"Thunder Bay 50/50 is usually an online draw," said Glenn Craig. "Opening up the store for the Christmas season means people can buy in-person as well. We've put together an attractive package to make your gift extra special."
Those extra touches included a holiday card for signing and a festive envelope to put under the tree or into a stocking. That December also saw the first $100 Holiday Super Ticket, with 500 numbers plus a bonus 100 numbers — for a total of 600. Compared to the traditional $50 for 150 numbers, it was clearly a great value. It was also the first Draw with a bonus 50 numbers in the $50 package, for a total of 200 numbers.
Of course, people could still enjoy the ease and convenience of buying online. Once again, the December Grand Prize Draw was the biggest of the year — and capped it with a final first: the first Grand Prize over $2.5 million.
And the winner was…
Now every Grand Prize winner is a millionaire.
When Norman Barratt from Ignace won the September 2023 Grand Prize of $1,136,985, it turned out to be a significant milestone — even if nobody knew it at the time.
"I can't believe it. I thought it was a joke!"
Norman told TBNewswatch they were in the middle of various house projects — including doing the roof and building a deck. That million-plus dollar win was going to come in handy.
Although the Thunder Bay 50/50 had made millionaires before, Norman was the start of something different. Since his win, every Grand Prize winner — every month — has taken home at least a million dollars.
But the winning didn't peak there. For many, the Grand Prize would continue to climb higher, and higher, and higher.
Dog days of summer liven up.
What began as a fun twist turned into something truly special in August 2024, thanks to a collaboration with the Thunder Bay & District Humane Society. Animal lovers across Ontario submitted 1,000 pet photos, while the Humane Society posted its own photos of adoptable dogs and cats. By the end of the month, 13 dogs and 31 cats had found their forever homes — along with 18 other pets in adoption trials and Foster-to-Adopt homes.
"Teaming up with the Humane Society meant we could celebrate the pets people already love, while also helping more animals find homes of their own. We're proud to have used our platform to support another organization doing such important work."
August 2024 represented another milestone for the Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw. It was the first month the Grand Prize broke $2 million outside of a December draw.
In a very short time after, that ceiling would become the floor.
The start of an incredible $2 million+ trend.
It's not uncommon for winners to get emotional when Glenn Craig makes that call at 11am on the last Friday of the month. Still, it's hard not to get caught up in Jose Bordeleau's emotion when Glenn called to tell her she'd won the August 2025 Grand Prize of $2,355,290.
"It's higher than two million? I was thinking of you guys this morning, and I was hoping for a good sign!"
Not only was Jose's win a new record for August — it was the last time a Thunder Bay 50/50 Grand Prize winner took home less than $2 million.
A forever home for Thunder Bay 50/50.
The December Pop-up Store, first opened in 2022, had become a Christmas tradition. Shoppers at Intercity Shopping Centre could go to the Food Court and pick up some of the best stocking stuffers in Ontario.
That location was so well known that the Foundation decided to make it the "forever home" for the Thunder Bay 50/50. The same space they'd occupied seasonally for years became the permanent Thunder Bay 50/50 Store in October 2025.
"The Thunder Bay 50/50 Store has become such an important part of who we are. It's where we have the opportunity to meet the people who make our success possible. Keeping it at Intercity means our supporters can continue to walk up, chat with our team, and buy their tickets in person — it's about being accessible to everyone."
Online worked extremely well during COVID. But once the world opened up to in-person meetings again, many people really enjoyed buying their tickets directly from Foundation staff. It offered "an easy, central place for supporters to purchase tickets, ask questions, and learn more about the impact of their contributions."
Since that first Pop-up Store, the Thunder Bay 50/50 Store has sold millions of dollars in tickets and connected with thousands of people in the community.
Thunder Bay 50/50 by the numbers
(Canadian record · Dec 2025)
and early bird combined
The Thunder Bay 50/50 has changed lives — and not just for the winners. All patients in Northwestern Ontario win through patient care improvements, cutting-edge technology, and more options for closer-to-home care. (Numbers updated as of June 2026)
Be the next chapter.
Every ticket helps the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation Do More Faster — funding the highest-priority equipment needs of the Hospital and centres across Northwestern Ontario.
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