Canada agog over a storm in a coffee cup

Ottawa — A discarded coffee cup found to be worth thousands of dollars in a fast-food chain contest has stirred up a storm in Canada as two girls fight over ownership of the prize-winning item.

According to reports, a 10-year-old girl found a prize-winning Tim Horton’s coffee cup in the rubbish at her Montreal school, but was unable to “rrroll up the rim” to determine if it was a winner, so she asked an older girl for help.

The annual promotion urges coffee drinkers to check under the rim to look for millions of dollars in prizes, including the Toyota sport utility vehicle (worth the equivalent of R150 000) now being fought over.

The two girls took the cup to a teacher, who called their parents. After initially agreeing to share the prize, the parents were soon at odds over how to split it.

And a school employee has now come forward saying he bought the cup, and should get the vehicle.

An online United States gambling site is even issuing odds on which girl might get to claim the prize.

A spokesperson for the fast-food chain said: “The Rrroll Up The Rim to Win promotion is meant to be a thank-you to our loyal customers.

“We sincerely hope that the families in this case will be able to come to a resolution.” – Sapa-AFP