Lucky few beat out hundreds vying for Ingraham cabin lots
Northern United Place packed as lottery held for 22 leases in cottage country
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Nine hundred and thirteen would-be cabin owners turned up at the MacKay building last week for a shot at one of 22 Ingraham Trail cabin lot leases doled out in a public ballot draw Monday night.
More than 300 people showed up at Northern United Place on Monday night to see if their number would be one of the few pulled by NWT Commissioner George Tuccaro.
Raising his arms in the air and letting out a 'whoop' of excitement, Rudy Vanderjagt was one of them.
"I'm pretty happy, pretty excited - I've been looking forward to this for a long time," he quipped, adding he's not picky about which lot he gets. "Any one is fine with me."
In March, Lands Minister Robert C. McLeod announced the department would give residents the chance to lease some of the vacant, surveyed cottage lots along the trail through a lottery system. He said the decision came in response to public feedback requesting more land for recreational-use.
"By holding a ballot draw along this portion of the Ingraham Trail, we meet some of the demand for recreational-type leases in a way that also sustains present and future generations," he stated in a news release.
Those entering the draw were only required to be a resident of the NWT and over 19 years of age.
Dave Phypers was one of the many people waiting in line at Crowe MacKay Chartered Accountants July 23 and said he had been there for more than an hour with 10 people still ahead of him.
"It's the only chance you have to get a piece of land here - and I've been here 29 years," he said. "I've filled out a ballot for everyone in my family."
Others seemed confused by the fees required to enter the draw.
"It costs $100 just to enter," said Sandy Tanya. "With so many people entering, it seems like a money-grabbing scheme."
Terry Hall, director of land use and sustainability for the lands department, said the approximate $90,000 accumulated from entries will be used to offset the fixed cost of having Crowe MacKay handle the draw's paperwork and cover promotional advertising.
"(The) government should try to the best of its ability to offset its costs and in order to do this in a fair, open, transparent process there are costs involved," he explained. "We wanted a firm that could be completely independent ... we haven't seen the ballots, we haven't touched them so it brings that impartiality, that fairness people want to see."
Hall said it has been three decades since the last land lottery.
"I think part of the reason there's such a high level of interest is pent up demand," he said. "I was actually in high school the last time a ballot draw was done so it was a long time ago."
Land leases will be awarded in three-year intervals with terms extended up to 27 years. Winners will have two years to construct a cabin on their lot, with a possible three-year extension available. Cabins must be less than 100 square metres and no taller than two stories - this includes secondary structures such as sheds. Mobile homes and trailers are also prohibited and owners may not use the cabin for a business or permanent residence. In total, the lots cover about 0.1 square kilometres. Vacancies include two spots on Reid Lake, seven at Tibbitt Lake, five on Peninsula Lake, one on Pontoon Lake, six at Prelude Lake and one on Madeline Lake. The lots range from 0.3 to 0.8 hectares in size with the largest sites at Prelude Lake. Winning ballots will be placed into another draw tonight to determine who gets which spot.
While he could not confirm whether more lotteries would be held in the future, Hall said he expects the public will continue to push for them.
"I suspect, judging by the numbers that we have, there will continue to be pressure to do that," he said.
In October 2014, a moratorium was placed on the land along Highway 3 and the Ingraham Trail prohibiting construction of new cabins and campsites for approximately two years. Aside from the 22 lots, the remainder of land covered in the "focus area" during this time will remain closed to new recreational leases, according to the department.
