WHITEHORSE, YT – Ahead of the upcoming land lotteries in the Spring of 2025, the Yukon Government will be rolling out some changes to the land lottery process.
The reform is part of a commitment made in the 2023 Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Yukon NDP, and the changes are meant to simplify the process in the interim as work continues to develop new public land legislation alongside Yukon First Nations.
The Government says, these changes had been informed by public engagement on the Public Lands Act that took place this summer. The updates will include provisions to reduce the use of proxies in the lotteries, and will provide more options to return lots if a prospective buyer is unable to meet the requirements.
When the reforms comes into effect, conditional sales will be allowed, there will be more flexibility in sales terms to safeguard against unforeseen issues like health emergencies, the $300 deposit to enter the lottery will be waived, while the application fee increases to $50
Additionally, successful land lottery candidates will only be allowed to re-apply after 5 years, and the feasibility of a separate lottery system for commercial builders will be explored.
