Nineteen lucky Yukoners had their names drawn last week for one of 19 recreational lots available in the Southern Lakes area.
Sixty residents had applied for the waterfront properties, 13 of which are located on Bennett Lake and six on the Windy Arm of Tagish Lake.
The lots, none of which are accessible by road, were sold between $45,000 and $55,000 each.
They can only be reached by boat, small aircraft and snowmobile in the winter.
One lot was removed from inventory because it did not meet recent inspection standards.
The lots cover an area of about one acre each.
Resources Minister Scott Kent said he was surprised by the broad demographic range of people who applied for the lots.
“There were students, engineers, placer miners and seniors, among others,” he said.
“It’s a real testament to the broad cross-section of Yukoners who are looking for this type of opportunity.”
The lottery was available to Yukoners who have resided in the territory for at least one continuous year prior to the date of sale.
Applicants had to submit a $300 deposit, which was refundable if the application was withdrawn prior to the lottery time or if the applicant was unsuccessful in the lottery.
The project was created as part of a memorandum of understanding signed last year between the Yukon government and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
At the time of the agreement, the First Nation said the goal was to create a sustainable economy for the Carcross area.
“There is no real economy there,” said Carcross/Tagish First Nation Chief Danny Cresswell at the time.
“There’s a little boom and bust for summertime with tourism; we need to look at year-round. We need to look at something that’s a lot more sustainable and something that creates full-time jobs.”
Kent said the lottery is a result of a commitment made to Yukoners during the 2011 territorial election.
“It’s something that me and many of my colleagues have heard since then,” he said, “that Yukoners would be interested in owning waterfront property.”
The government is currently exploring other opportunities in the territory to make more recreational lots available to Yukoners next year.
Contact Myles Dolphin at myles@yukon-news.com