$70M lottery winner dedicates win to late wife

Brian Hoover, a Beaverlodge resident, won the $70 million Lotto Max draw Jan. 16. (Supplied)

A northern Alberta man is calling his $70 million lottery win a "bittersweet" one.

Brian Hoover, from Beaverlodge, won the Jan. 16 draw by matching all seven main numbers.

Winning the lottery has been a long-time inside joke for Hoover and his family, and he said he planned to use some of the money to honour the memory of his late wife.

"This is bittersweet for me," said Hoover at his prize claim interview. "We always talked about what we would do if we won the lottery. I'm determined to bring some of those ideas to life in her memory."

Hoover has three children and said he wanted to help them and other family members out as well, paying off some mortgages and handing out some cash.

He said he also wanted to help some local schools and have a park named for his wife.

"These are all such fresh thoughts," Hoover said. "I want to make sure I do good things. Using this money and investing in her memory is a way to share this win with her."

With what's left, Hoover said he will look at treating himself.

"I have a friend who lives in the Yukon who’s been asking me to visit. I’m thinking it would be nice to drive up in a classy motorhome," he said.

Hoover's win was the second big win in Alberta in two days. Thursday, three Calgary friends split a $50 million jackpot.