The CHEO Dream Home lottery — officially called the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery — is an annual charity raffle run by the CHEO Foundation in Ottawa, Ontario, offering a grand prize package worth over $3.7 million CAD. The centrepiece is a fully furnished Minto Dream Home, plus $100,000 cash, a luxury vehicle, and dozens of additional prizes.
Every ticket purchased supports pediatric healthcare at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). If you’re a fan of big lottery prizes and supporting great causes, the CHEO Dream Home is one of Canada’s most popular charity lotteries. And if you love the thrill of playing for life-changing prizes, XO Lotto offers Canadian players even more ways to win — from Lotto Max to scratch cards and fast games.
What Is the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery?
The CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery is Ottawa’s biggest annual charity home lottery, and it’s been running for over 35 years. The lottery is organized by the CHEO Foundation to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, one of Canada’s leading pediatric hospitals. The CHEO Dream Home Ottawa tradition dates back over three decades, making it one of the region’s most anticipated annual events.
Each year, the CHEO Dream Home lottery features a custom-built Minto Dream Home located in the Manotick area of Ottawa as its grand prize. The home is designed by top architects, decorated by professional interior designers, and fully furnished. But the grand prize goes well beyond the house — winners also receive cash, vehicles, gift cards, and services.
In its 35-year history, the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime lottery has raised over $110 million CAD for pediatric healthcare. That’s an extraordinary track record for a single charity lottery program.
CHEO Dream Home Grand Prize Breakdown
The 2025 CHEO Dream Home grand prize was the largest in the lottery’s history, valued at over $3.7 million CAD. Here’s what the winner received:
| Prize Component | Approx. Value (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Minto Dream Home “The Sterling” — fully furnished by La-Z-Boy | $3,200,000+ |
| Cash prize | $100,000 |
| Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC SUV (or $75,272 cash) | $75,272 |
| Farm Boy gift card | $5,000 |
| W.O. Stinson gas cards (50 × $100) | $5,000 |
| Bi-weekly house cleaning for 1 year (ATC Cleaning) | Included |
| Moving services (Adam’s Moving) | Included |
| Legal services (Mann Lawyers LLP) | Included |
| Total Grand Prize Package | $3,745,024 |
Key Takeaways:
- The Minto Dream Home makes up the vast majority of the prize value — the 2025 home was a 5,360-square-foot property in Manotick called “The Sterling”
- Winners can choose the Mercedes-Benz SUV or take $75,272 in cash instead
- The package includes practical extras like gas cards, groceries, cleaning, moving, and legal services — everything you’d need to actually move in
Beyond the grand prize, the 2026 CHEO Dream Home lottery featured over 7,400 additional prizes worth more than $5.2 million CAD in total. These included luxury vacations, vehicles, gift cards, sports tickets, and the popular 50/50 cash draw.
CHEO Dream Home Ticket Prices and How to Buy
CHEO Dream Home lottery tickets are priced at $100 each, or you can buy three for $250 — a common pricing structure for Canadian charity home lotteries. The lottery also offers a 50/50 draw (tickets: $10 each, 5 for $25, or 15 for $50), which you can only purchase if you hold a Dream of a Lifetime Lottery ticket.
Tickets can be purchased online at dreamofalifetime.ca, by phone at 613-722-5437 (or toll-free 1-877-562-5437), or in person at the Minto Dream Home during open house hours. One important rule: you must be physically in the province of Ontario at the time of purchase, as required by AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) regulations.
The 2026 CHEO Dream Home lottery ran from September 10 to December 19, 2025, with the final draw held on January 7, 2026. The 2026 edition is expected to launch in the fall — the CHEO Foundation typically opens ticket sales each September.
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Early Bird Draws and Bonus Prizes
One of the best parts of the CHEO Dream Home lottery is the early bird prize structure. Buying tickets earlier gives you additional chances to win before the final draw. Here’s how the 2025 early bird schedule worked:
| Deadline | Prize | Approx. Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 26, 2025 | Winner’s Choice: VW ID. Buzz, Ford Bronco Heritage Edition, or $100,000 cash | Up to $102,000 |
| Oct. 17, 2025 | 200 bonus tickets for final draw | — |
| Oct. 31, 2025 | Iconic Thailand luxury trip (12 days + $5,000 spending money) | $95,000 |
| Nov. 21, 2025 | $250,000 cash + 5,500 bonus tickets for final draw | $250,000 |
| Dec. 5, 2025 | 200 bonus tickets for final draw | — |
Key Takeaways:
- Every early bird winner stays eligible for all subsequent draws, including the grand prize
- The earlier you buy, the more draws your ticket enters — that’s the biggest strategic advantage
- The early bird cash prize alone ($250,000) is life-changing money
CHEO Dream Home Odds of Winning
The odds of winning the CHEO Dream Home grand prize depend on how many tickets are sold. For the 2025 edition, 150,000 lottery tickets were available for purchase, plus 5,900 bonus tickets — bringing the total ticket pool to approximately 155,900.
That puts your odds of winning the grand prize at roughly 1 in 155,900 with a single ticket, or about 1 in 52,000 if you buy the three-for-$250 pack. Those odds are dramatically better than national lotteries like Lotto Max (1 in 33.3 million) or Powerball (1 in 292.2 million).
But here’s what makes the CHEO Dream Home lottery especially appealing: with 1,748 winning tickets drawn in the final draw alone, and over 7,400 total prizes, your chances of winning something are quite strong. The 50/50 draw adds another shot — the 2025 50/50 pot reached $2,108,285 CAD, with the winner taking home $1,054,142.50.
Who Won the CHEO Dream Home in 2026?
The 2026 CHEO Dream Home grand prize winner was Aimee Savard of Ottawa, holding ticket number 100083669. The draw took place on January 7, 2026, and Savard won the full $3.7 million grand prize package, including the Minto Dream Home “The Sterling” in Manotick.
In interviews following her win, Savard admitted she initially thought the notification call was a scam before realizing it was real. It’s a reaction that’s common among big lottery winners — the sheer disbelief of winning something that valuable.
The 50/50 draw winner was Luke Clarke of Gatineau, Quebec (ticket #500542735), who took home $1,054,142.50 in cash. The 50/50 pot reached a total of $2,108,285 CAD, making it one of the largest 50/50 payouts in CHEO Dream of a Lifetime lottery history.
Past CHEO lottery winners have included residents from across eastern Ontario and western Quebec. The lottery consistently produces millionaires each year — between the grand prize, the 50/50 draw, and the early bird cash prizes, the CHEO Dream Home lottery creates multiple major winners every edition.
Want to read more about big lottery wins in Canada? Check out our guide to Canadian lottery winners and Ontario lottery winners.
How the CHEO Dream Home Lottery Supports Kids
Every dollar spent on a CHEO Dream Home lottery ticket goes directly to the CHEO Foundation, which funds programs, equipment, and infrastructure at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The lottery is one of CHEO’s single largest annual fundraisers.
Here’s where the proceeds from the 2026 CHEO Dream of a Lifetime lottery are making an impact:
1Door4Care Integrated Treatment Centre — Following the groundbreaking in April 2025, this new facility will consolidate care for children with complex medical and behavioural needs into one location. It’s scheduled to open in 2028 and represents a major step forward for pediatric healthcare in the Ottawa region.
MRI Suite Renovation — Lottery funds are helping modernize CHEO’s MRI capabilities, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing radiation exposure for young patients.
Newborn Screening Ontario Lab — The previous facility was demolished in August 2025, and the new lab is expected to open in summer 2026. This lab screens newborns across Ontario for rare diseases — it’s literally lifesaving infrastructure.
Parking Structure — Community funding supported the new multi-level parking structure that opened in April 2025, providing over 1,000 spaces and EV charging stations for patients, families, and staff.
Over 35 years, the CHEO Dream Home lottery has raised more than $110 million CAD. That’s a remarkable number for a regional charity lottery, and it shows the deep connection Ottawa’s community has with its children’s hospital.
The Minto Dream Home: 25 Years of Partnership
The Minto Dream Home is the crown jewel of the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime lottery, and 2025 marked a milestone — 25 years of partnership between Minto and the CHEO Foundation.
Each year, Minto builds a custom home specifically for the lottery. The 2025 edition, named “The Sterling,” was located at 808 Skysail Place in Manotick. At 5,360 square feet, it featured a 1920s Art Deco-inspired design refreshed with modern materials — including geometric detailing, rich wood finishes, and silver accents.
The home included a state-of-the-art theatre room, a speakeasy-inspired basement lounge with a cocktail bar, a fitness centre, and a main-floor primary suite designed for accessibility. It was decorated by Tanner Vine Interiors and fully furnished by La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings & Décor.
Previous Minto Dream Homes have included “The Oasis” (2024, at 845 Companion Crescent in Manotick), which featured a wellness-inspired minimalist design at 5,097 square feet. Each year brings a completely new concept and location — part of what makes the CHEO Dream Home lottery so exciting for Ottawa-area residents.
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CHEO Dream Home 2026: What to Expect
The 2026 CHEO Dream of a Lifetime Lottery hasn’t been officially announced yet, but based on past years, here’s what Canadian lottery fans can expect:
Launch date: Typically September (the 2025 edition opened September 10)
Ticket sales period: September through mid-December
Ticket prices: Historically $100 each or 3 for $250 (prices have remained consistent)
Final draw: Usually early January of the following year
Location: Expect another CHEO Dream Home Ottawa build in the Manotick area
Prize value: CHEO lottery winners in recent years have taken home grand prize packages worth $3.3M–$3.7M CAD, so 2026 could push even higher
The CHEO Foundation has confirmed on their FAQ page that the 2025 Dream of a Lifetime Lottery (meaning the next edition to launch) will open in the fall. Keep an eye on dreamofalifetime.ca for the official announcement.
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Can You Take Cash Instead of the CHEO Dream Home?
Yes — partially. The 2025 CHEO Dream Home grand prize allowed winners to choose between the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4MATIC SUV or $75,272.35 in cash. However, the Minto Dream Home itself doesn’t come with a full cash alternative. The winner receives the physical home as part of the package.
That said, grand prize winners can sell the home after receiving it. Past winners have done exactly that. The home is transferred to the winner with all legal services included (Mann Lawyers LLP is part of the prize package), so the process is straightforward.
It’s worth noting that lottery winnings in Canada are generally tax-free — including charity lottery prizes. The CHEO Dream Home prize wouldn’t be subject to income tax, though ongoing property taxes, maintenance, and utilities would apply if you keep the home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are CHEO Dream Home lottery tickets?
CHEO Dream Home lottery tickets cost $100 each, or you can purchase three tickets for $250. The 50/50 draw tickets are sold separately at $10 each, 5 for $25, or 15 for $50 — but you need a Dream of a Lifetime lottery ticket to be eligible for the 50/50.
Can you take cash instead of the CHEO dream home?
You can choose cash ($75,272) instead of the Mercedes-Benz SUV, but the Minto Dream Home itself is awarded as a physical property — there’s no full cash-out option for the home. Winners can sell the property after receiving it if they prefer cash.
When is the CHEO Dream of a Lifetime draw?
The final draw for the 2025 CHEO Dream of a Lifetime lottery took place on January 7, 2026. The 2026 edition is expected to launch in fall 2026 with a final draw in early January 2027. Check dreamofalifetime.ca for confirmed dates.
Who won the CHEO Dream Home 2025?
Ottawa resident Aimee Savard (ticket #100083669) won the 2025 CHEO Dream Home grand prize valued at $3.7 million CAD. Luke Clarke of Gatineau won the 50/50 draw, taking home $1,054,142.50.
How does the CHEO lottery support the hospital?
All proceeds fund programs at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Major 2025–2026 projects include the 1Door4Care Integrated Treatment Centre (opening 2028), a new MRI suite, and the rebuilt Newborn Screening Ontario lab. The lottery has raised over $110 million in 35 years.
What are the odds of winning the CHEO Dream Home?
With 150,000 tickets available for purchase plus bonus tickets (approximately 155,900 total), your odds of winning the grand prize with a single ticket are roughly 1 in 155,900. Buying the three-for-$250 pack improves your odds to about 1 in 52,000.
Do you have to be in Ontario to buy CHEO lottery tickets?
Yes. Per AGCO regulations, you must be physically in the province of Ontario at the time of purchase. You also need to be 18 years of age or older. Tickets cannot be mailed outside Ontario.
Can you visit the CHEO Dream Home in person?
Yes — during the lottery’s sales period, the Minto Dream Home is open for public tours. The 2025 home at 808 Skysail Place in Manotick was open Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 8 PM and weekends from 10 AM to 6 PM. A 3D virtual tour is also typically available on the lottery website.
Start Playing Today
Charity lotteries like the CHEO Dream Home are a fantastic way to support great causes while chasing life-changing prizes. If you love the thrill of lottery draws and instant-win games, XO Lotto gives you access to Canada’s biggest lotteries, scratch cards, keno, and fast games — all from one platform, with secure Interac payments and real CAD prizes.
Charity lotteries are a fun way to support great causes — always play within your means. For tools and resources to help you stay in control, visit XO Lotto’s responsible gambling page.
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