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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.