A luxury home in Markham has been taken off the prize list for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Home Lottery because it backs on to a house with a legal licence to grow marijuana, the hospital foundation has announced.

“The prize property, located at 39 Jeffrey Nihda Cres. in Markham, will be withdrawn from the Home Lottery immediately and will not be open for public viewing,” the foundation said in a statement.

“Information about this neighbourhood issue came to the Princess Margaret’s attention on Feb. 12, 2016. The owner of a home backing the prize property has a licence issued by Health Canada to legally grow marijuana for personal consumption. The growing of a large number of plants in the house has resulted in an intrusive odour in the neighbourhood.”

Instead of moving into the home, the winning ticket holder will get $1.285 million in cash, plus a bonus of $25,000 for a total of $1.31 million, the foundation said.

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Taking the house off the prize list is a disappointment, foundation vice-president Christine Lasky acknowledged.

“We know that our lottery supporters look forward to touring the prize properties to see what they can win and to get design ideas. Naturally, we are very disappointed. We believe our decision is the most appropriate and responsible action,” she said in a statement.

“This is a very unique situation. Our number one priority is to our lottery supporters and this plan ensures our customers will receive the same great value for their ticket purchase and support.”

The hospital’s biggest grand prize ever includes a $3.7 million home in Kleinburg.

Anyone with questions about their tickets can contact the customer service team at 1-800-542-8813 or by email at pmhlotterycs@deloitte.ca.