SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. - Erik Gerlund’s decision not to take a contract job in Vancouver made him a millionaire.
Gerlund was announced on Monday as Summerside’s latest $1-million lottery winner. He won the Atlantic 49 draw on Jan. 1 with a ticket he purchased at Mel’s Enterprises Petro-Canada station on Granville Street in Summerside.
Gerlund works in the film industry and was recently offered a six-month contract in B.C. He turned it down. If he had decided to take the job, he would not have been home to buy his million-dollar ticket.
“I would be in Vancouver now. I would have had to be on a flight the next day,” said Gerlund.
As it happened, he checked his ticket online at home.
When he realized his ticket was a winner, he kind of went into a stupor, he recalled.
“I didn’t believe it,” he laughed.
“I actually put it all down. I wasn’t sure what to do so I went and did the dishes, took the dogs out for a walk.”
“I didn’t believe it. I actually put it all down. I wasn’t sure what to do so I went and did the dishes, took the dogs out for a walk.”
-Erik Gerlund
It wasn’t until he called the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) later that day that he started to believe his luck.
Originally from B.C., Gerlund moved to Bedeque in 2016 after falling in love with the East Coast on a vacation visit. He purchased the Bedeque Village Store, and though that business is no longer operating, he is still in the process of renovating the structure.
There have been five Atlantic 49 winners in the past seven months, including:
- Martin Pitts, Salt Springs, N.S.
- Herman Iyoupe, Eastern Passage, N.S.
- Shelly Campbell, Tyne Valley, P.E.I.
- Edward and Lisa Allain, Richibucto, N.B.
- Erik Gerlund, Bedeque, P.E.I.
This monetary windfall will help him complete the construction project. He also intends to use some of it to pay off any outstanding debt or bills and then plans to take a year to travel Atlantic Canada.
“I’m going to take the rest of the year off. I’m not going to work in 2018 – that’s my time. I’ve worked long and hard for 27 years, big hours, long hours, so now this is going to be a holiday I can enjoy,” he said.
Gros Morne National Park and L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador are high on his visitation list, as is the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. He also wants to visit Tignish, which he hasn’t had an opportunity to do yet.
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful place, the people are wonderful and I want to experience that. Now I can do it,” he said.
Gerlund is actually the second Prince County resident to buy a $1-million lottery ticket in Summerside recently. Shelly Campbell of Tyne Valley won the Nov. 25 Atlantic 49 draw for $1 million and was announced as a winner on Jan. 3.
ALC staff on hand for Gerlund’s announcement on Monday said it is unusual to have two, million-dollar prize-winners in the same community in a short timeframe.
