THUNDER BAY -- The top prize in the Fort William House Lottery is valued at $749,000.
Organizers of the annual draw, now in its 36th year, unveiled the two-storey Dogwood Crescent home on Tuesday, launching online-only ticket sales, which will conclude with a lucky winner being awarded the home on Canada Day.
The custom bi-level home, built by Triad Contracting, features four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a detached garage, large windows to take advantage of natural sunlight and a finished basement with plenty of storage space and a den area heated by an electric fireplace.
Fhara Pottinger, the incoming Fort William Rotary Club president, said the lottery has proven to be a huge success over the years, last year alone raising $752,000 for a host of local charities, including the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, the Handicapped Action Group, Wilderness Discovery Centre and Shelter House.
Pottinger said while tickets won’t be sold on site, in 2022 ticket buyers will be able to tour the home and get that in-person feel for the top prize, an opportunity that wasn’t available over the past two years due to pandemic restrictions.
“I think it’s very exciting to come and look at what you might possibly win. It’s also just a really neat opportunity to see some of the work that local contractors do in our community to prepare these beautiful homes,” Pottinger said.
“It’s a bit of a social occasion. You get to come out, you get to see it, you get to participate and then know ... that you’re part of the community and that this is bigger than just your ticket and your house, it’s also about Thunder Bay and the surrounding district.”
Open houses will be held each Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Robert Moore, co-chair of the house lottery committee, said the home, which also comes with central air and kitchen appliances, is a huge prize, adding the public has been fantastic over the past three-and-a-half decades, supporting the draw year in and year out.
“They’re our lifeblood. Over the past 36 years we’ve contributed over $6.5 million to local charities that have benefited the community of Thunder Bay and also district communities.”
The switch to online tickets sales appears to be a permanent move, one that worked out well in 2021, when the house lottery sold out in five-and-a-half weeks. Lottery officials said they’ve already sold 13 per cent of this year’s 20,000 ticket allotment after opening up sales over the weekend to previous ticket buyers.
That’s 4,000 more tickets than were sold last year. There is also $50,000 in early bird prizes, including a $10,000 draw on April 8. Tickets are $100 each or three for $250, and are available at www.fwrotaryhouselottery.ca.
