Struggle over pickleball players' access to Mayne Island tennis courts ends in B.C. Supreme Court
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The court case revolved around a community centre decision to allow 21 hours of pickleball play each week
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A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed a petition from a group of tennis players on Mayne Island who had tried to assert total control over two tennis courts in order to prevent people from playing pickleball there.
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The nine petitioners argued that a group called the Mayne Island Tennis Association (MITA) had raised tens of thousands of dollars,
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cleared wooded land on the Mayne Island Community Centre property, and there built the two courts which they maintained for about 14 years.
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They also entered into an agreement with the community centre to control the tennis courts.For years, MITA held exclusive use of the courts for tennis.
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But as the popularity of pickleball grew on the island, a shift took place on the elected board of the Mayne Island Community Centre Society (MICCS): in 2021
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five new members joined the board. According to the B.C. Supreme Court Decision, at least three of the five were also members of the local pickleball club.
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The board election was the subject of a Capital Daily story titled "The pickleball coup."In May, 2022, the MICCS board announced that pickleball players would be granted access to the tennis courts, with 21 hours each week dedicated to the sport.