Lotteries Yukon and its government lawyer are not commenting on an Aug. 18 letter to Heather's Snack Haven convenience store owner Ken Achtymichuk that appears to breach a settlement agreement between the formerly feuding parties.

While the government blames Achtymichuk for the breach, he has severed his ties with Lotteries Yukon and now, according to his numbers, the charitable corporation is more than $100,000 poorer for the effort.

The original dustup began last May over the removal of the Snack Haven's Keno monitors because the store did not meet the required seating capacity.

When Achtymichuk challenged his Kenos' removal in court, Lotteries Yukon retaliated by trying to revoke the Snack Haven's lottery licence.

After threatening to pull its licence, which Achtymichuk countered with a lawsuit, in July, he and Lotteries Yukon reached a compromise: all future dealings with Heather's Snack Haven would be between lottery officials and Achtymichuk's wife, Heather, co-owner and the store's namesake.

When the dust settled, the Achtymichuks lost their Keno machines but managed to keep their lottery licence.

Fast-forward to late August; Heather's Snack Haven receives a letter addressed to Ken from Lotteries Yukon, requesting his assistance with "updating (Lotteries Yukon) files.”

To fulfill the request, Ken must sign three copies of Schedule "A” to Breakopen Lottery Retailer Agreement and return them in a prepaid envelope.

"All of a sudden, I get this letter asking me to do this so I kind of thought it was over with this bulls**t,” Ken told the Star last week, providing the Aug. 18 letter to prove the lottery corporation's request.

Ready to let bygones be bygones, Ken complied and mailed off the paperwork to Lotteries Yukon.

A week later, government lawyer Judy Hartling sent Ken's lawyer, Graham Lang, a letter instructing Lang to remind his client to refrain from such communications.

"It has been brought to my attention that Ken Achtymichuk has communicated with the Yukon Lottery Commission by altering and placing his signature on a document Yukon Liquor Corporation (which oversees Lotteries Yukon) supplied to Heather's Snack Haven ... contrary to the settlement agreement.”

It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

Last Friday, Ken ended his dealings with Lotteries Yukon and surrendered all related equipment to the lottery corporation.

"We're done with it; this is back-stabbing soap opera stuff, and I don't need it,” Ken said.

"I can't believe this lawyer would get involved in something like this. She didn't have all her ducks in a row ... if she had read this (Aug. 18) letter, they were the ones that breached the agreement, not me. All I was trying to do was accommodate them.”

Last Friday, Lotteries Yukon staff removed all related equipment from Heather's Snack Haven.

When the Star contacted Hartling on Monday, she refused to comment, citing a confidentiality agreement between Lotteries Yukon and proprietors of Heather's Snack Haven – Ken and Heather Achtymichuk.

Lotteries Yukon did not return the Star's calls this week.

In 2008, Heather's Snack Haven grossed $304,000 in lottery sales and paid out $129,000 in winnings to lucky players.

Of those amounts, Ken and Heather keep five per cent of sales and two per cent of win payouts while Lotteries Yukon collects the rest.

Profits by the lottery corporation are driven back into community initiatives, including sport and recreation programs across the territory.

"They practically destroyed the sale of lottery tickets in this store (after removing my Keno machines),” Ken said.

"Who's losing on this? It's the community, that's who.

"My store sales haven't dropped; they've actually increased but I'm choked for the fact we put in all this hard work and what do we get out of it? Nothing.”