CHEO Dream of a Lifetime grand prize Minto Dream Home is complete, but open to virtual tours only for now

OTTAWA -

The multi-million dollar grand prize Minto Dream Home in the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery has been unveiled and while in-person tours are not available yet, there is a virtual tour that will showcase its elevated, modern comfort to potential winners.

The main entrance sets the stage with large marble tiles. Some are round, others square, and their bright white colour contrasts against the black rectangular inlays. The ceiling is open to the top level of the 4600 sq. ft. bungalow and that open and airy feel flows through the home and the southwest inspired colour pallet will leave you feeling relaxed.

“It’s definitely more modern and it sort of has a mid-century modern, a little bit of a Scandinavian vibe to it,” says Tanya Collins, who was part of the Minto Dream Home design team. “It’s a net-zero home as well so it’s completely energy efficient it won’t cost people money to live in this home as you might expect with a large home like this.”

Roof-top solar panels can replace the power that is used. The three-bedroom, four-bath fully furnished home, backs on a pond, in the Manotick Mahogany Community. The three car garage is accessible from the basement, where there is a gym, washroom, a movie room, a gaming room and a fully-loaded workshop, with cabinets, tools and saws.

The grand prize package is worth $3.1 million and comes with a car, $100, 000 cash, groceries, house keeping and more.

“I’m absolutely blown away by what they’ve been able to put together for us and the children at CHEO,” says Dan Champagne, Vice President development and corporate relations with the CHEO foundation. “We’re very proud of the way we manage our lottery and last year because of the support from the community for CHEO, we raised over $8 million for priority use.”

Proceeds from the ticket sales of the lottery is used for research, equipment and programs at the hospital. Champagne says this year, CHEO has seen a sharp increase in mental health issues among children and the money raised provides the ability to make an impact in the cost of care.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain challenges and delayed the construction of the Minto Dream Home by more than a month. While the keys have been handed over to the foundation, only virtual tours will be available for now. Champagne says the hope is to make the home available for in-person tours in the coming weeks.

“We need to do some work to make sure that we are compliant and protect everybody’s health,” he says. “But it’s our intention to do everything we can to open the home this year.”

There are plenty of prizes to be won, including cash, travel , cars and gift certificate from local businesses.

Tickets are $100 each or three for $250. A 50/50 draw is available to ticket holders and cost $10 each, five for $25 or 15 for $50. Tickets can be purchased from the website https://dreamofalifetime.ca/order/ or by calling 613-722-5437 or 1-877-562-5437. Anyone who buys a ticket by midnight on Nov. 19 will have a chance to win $250,000 in the early-bird draw. The lottery runs until Dec. 17.