Whitehorse store owner taking lottery commission to court
Last Updated: Thursday, May 28, 2009 | 11:01 AM CT
CBC News
A convenience store owner in Whitehorse's Porter Creek neighbourhood will be in court Friday, requesting it stop the Yukon Lottery Commission from taking away his lottery terminal and licence.
Ken Achtymichuk is seeking a court injunction after he received letters from the lottery commission saying it's taking the KENO terminal away from his business, as well as terminating his lottery licence.
Achtymichuk said the commission has refused to tell him why it's terminating his licence.
But Andrea Marantz, a spokeswoman with the affiliated Western Canada Lottery Corp., said no reason needs to be given.
"We have a clause in our standard retailer agreement, that every retailer signs when they agree to sell lottery products, that allows either party to terminate the agreement without cause on seven days' notice," Marantz said Wednesday.
Melanie Graham, chair of the Yukon Lottery Commission, told CBC News she could not comment on the case because it is before the courts.
Achtymichuk's lawyer, Graham Lang, said when the commission heard Achtymichuk wanted to take it to court over the KENO machine, it sent an even tougher letter.
"This is from the Yukon Lottery Commission: 'We understand you are going to take legal action, so we are going to pull your entire lottery licence. We're going to prevent you from selling any lottery products out of your store,'" Lang said in an interview earlier this week.
"Now this is quite a big deal for Ken and Heather. I mean, this is a true mom and pop operation."
Lang said lottery sales account for nearly 30 per cent of business at "mom and pop operations" such as Achtymichuk's store.
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