A massive jackpot is up for grabs this week in the weekly Nova Scotia Firefighters 50/50 raffle, with the estimated prize pool hitting $440,780 ahead of Friday’s draw at the Amherst Fire Station on 62 Albion Street.
Ticket sales close on Friday, June 19, 2026, with the draw happening that evening. The lucky winner will take home half the jackpot, roughly $220,390, while five additional winners will each receive a $1,000 bonus prize. Residents can still get tickets online through Rafflebox before the deadline.
Run by the Amherst Fire Fighters’ Association, this raffle has become the largest weekly 50/50 in Canada and a lifeline for fire departments across the province. What started in March 2020 with just eight fire agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown to include over 270 departments, about 90 per cent of which are volunteer-run. For those small, rural brigades, the proceeds are a game-changer, often providing more in a single week than traditional fundraisers like community breakfasts could in two years.
For every ticket sold, 35 per cent of the proceeds go directly back to the fire department the buyer chooses to support. Those funds are paid out quarterly, helping volunteer stations buy gear and equipment they could not otherwise afford. The association itself is part of the Amherst Fire Department, a composite service with more than 50 volunteer firefighters, eight full-time staff, and five casual members, led by Chief Greg Jones and Deputy Chief Brian Farrow.
The record jackpot was set on December 21, 2023, when a Berwick man won nearly $1.94 million from a total pool of over $3.8 million. Last week’s winner, Brandon Davis from Lower Five Islands, pocketed $319,723 while supporting the Economy Fire Brigade.
