For $800,000, the Capital Hotel, which has a history of drug-related problems, could be bought from its group of owners, the Yukon News has learned.
“That’s a fact. It is for sale,” said co-owner Maurice Byblow. He declined to comment further.
A Re/Max online listing says the owners, Whitehorse Cattle Co. Ltd., is asking $800,000 for the downtown hotel that includes 17 rooms and a 175-seat bar covering two lots on Main Street.
There is no confirmation on whether or not the mummified cat, under a glass display at the bar, comes with the hotel.
Porter Creek MLA Archie Lang is one of four people in the partnership, which recently sold three hotels – the Belvedere Motor Hotel, the Gateway Motor Inn and the Watson Lake Hotel – in Watson Lake to the Liard First Nation in June for a rumoured $3 million.
Byblow, Deborah Fulmer and Ken Eby are the other partners.
The Capital has a checkered past.
In 2003, undercover RCMP officers bought cocaine from three dealers operating in the bar. In the following years, RCMP and liquor inspectors documented more incidents of drug use and drug deals.
After a group of 50 concerned citizens gathered outside the Capital in July 2006 to force a drug dealer off the property, Byblow instituted a no-tolerance drug policy and declared the bar a drug-free zone.
He installed 16 cameras to combat the drug dealers.
Live music is a regular feature at The Capital, which is a popular stop for young people.
The Capital is the latest Whitehorse hotel to put up a For Sale sign. Northern Vision Development has bought the High Country Inn this year and the Gold Rush Inn in 2006.