OTTAWA — A group of 26 current and former Canada Revenue Agency staffers won the $32-million Lotto Max jackpot.

“It’s been a crazy weekend of talking to the group, convincing them this win was not a joke. I heard a lot of joyous screaming on the phone,” group captain Philippe Bussiere said.

Many in the group are still in shock after claiming their $32,685,304.80 at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto on Tuesday.

Oh, and there was an extra $2 thrown in for an Encore prize.

Bussiere has been organizing the group for six years. He had photocopies of the winning ticket, but realized the original was in a mug on his desk, so he made a special trip to the office to ensure it was moved to a safer place.

Colleague Francine Moore volunteered to check the tickets and noticed they had matched all seven numbers.

She asked her husband to double-check.

“When he confirmed the numbers, I was so excited that I wanted to start calling people but didn’t have anyone’s number and couldn’t remember anyone’s number,” Moore said.

“I was able to call a co-worker who was in the bath tub and didn’t want to take the call. I finally convinced her to take the call and when she heard the news, she was in shock.”

It took about a day to notify everyone.

The winners are between 27 and 63 years old, including some retirees.

Many aren’t sure what they’ll do with their share of the jackpot, but most said the money will provide them with financial security.

A few are taking their families on special vacations.

“This is the best journey ever for us. We are like a family at work and this win is a wonderful treat,” Lise Lafortune said.