North Saanich Tears Down Wain Park Pickleball Courts After Noise Dispute

An excavator and front-end loader rolled into Wain Park in North Saanich on March 27, beginning the physical demolition of the municipality's pickleball courts after a dispute that had simmered for years and consumed countless hours of council debate. The teardown marked the final act of a conflict that never found a middle ground.

The two courts had been built in 2017 at a cost of roughly $200,000 and were closed on May 7, 2024, following persistent noise complaints from residents on nearby Birch Road. When council voted 5-1 that spring to shut the courts permanently, it rejected sound-mitigation fencing estimated at $50,000 to $70,000. Mayor Peter Jones framed the math simply at the April 2024 council meeting: "My belief is that open courts in North Saanich simply don't work because of the noise. And if there is noise-mitigation available, it's extremely expensive and I would not like to come to our residents and ask them to fork over more cash, particularly for the Wain Park facility."

Jones also pointed to a secondary problem beyond the decibels. He later told reporters that a small number of pickleball players had subjected neighboring residents to harassment and bullying, an accusation that hardened the political calculus against keeping the courts open under any arrangement.

Not everyone on council agreed with the outcome. Councillor DiBattista said he had reviewed videos showing players on the courts in the early morning and late evening hours and acknowledged the neighbors' grievances, but stopped short of endorsing demolition. "I struggle when we take an asset we already paid for and demolish it without trying everything," he said. He noted he had been unable to confirm the precise final cost of the project.

Community members who submitted letters in the months between the closure and the teardown reflected the same split. Bill Boyd of Sidney argued that restricted playing hours could have preserved the facility, while Pat Watt of North Saanich contended the courts could have been repurposed for multi-use recreation rather than removed entirely. Pickleball associations had also pushed council to explore sound-reduction strategies before committing to demolition, and one group threatened judicial review of the closure decision, though the teardown ultimately proceeded.

The space will not sit vacant. The District of North Saanich plans to replace the courts with a covered community gathering space, complete with picnic tables, expected to open in May 2026. Broader park upgrades under consideration include new swings, disc golf practice holes, bike parking, and a washroom renovation. Wain Park, which opened in 1864 and holds heritage designation, also contains two tennis courts, a half basketball court, ball diamonds, and connecting trails.

The North Saanich case has become a reference point in a recurring debate playing out across North America: pickleball's explosive growth has repeatedly run into resistance when courts land too close to residential streets without adequate buffers or community buy-in. What sets North Saanich apart is the price tag on the lesson. Tearing down $200,000 worth of infrastructure because $50,000 in noise mitigation was deemed too costly is exactly the kind of outcome parks planners in other municipalities will want to avoid as they field the next round of court-conversion proposals.