Private security hired to enforce hours at North Saanich pickleball court
The District of North Saanich has hired a private security company to ensure pickleball players only use a local court during the prescribed hours.
The district says the courts in Wain Park have generated noise complaints, prompting the municipality to restrict the hours the courts can be used on certain days of the week.
Now, to address complaints that some players haven't been sticking to the schedule, the district is spending $3,000 on security to ensure the courts shut down on time.
"This is a way to try to give some comfort to local residents that we're doing as much as we can to sort of work with them," said North Saanich Mayor Geoff Orr.
Pickleball's growing popularity has led to noise complaints in cities across B.C., including in Victoria, where officials caused controversy by closing courts in the James Bay neighbourhood.
The sport dates back to the mid-1960s when several vacationing families in Washington state were looking to play new games on an outdoor badminton court.
It combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton and is played over a tennis net with what look like oversized Ping-Pong paddles and a hollow plastic ball.
It's the sound made by the paddles hitting the ball that some neighbours find so grating.
In North Saanich, the Wain Park courts are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Pickleball players in the district told CTV News they think building a berm around the Wain Park courts could help reduce noise.
Orr said the district is working on long-term plans that could see the courts moved to a different location or to an indoor facility.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.