Consistency for kids
Skills improve through regular practice. Long weather-driven interruptions work against development and force committed families to travel outside South Delta.
A community-led initiative for Ladner + Tsawwassen
Rain shouldn’t end the tennis season.
South Delta has outdoor courts and a useful roofed outdoor multi-sport court, but no dedicated enclosed indoor tennis court for the wet and cold months. We are asking the City of Delta to reopen the year-round tennis question with a practical feasibility process — site, cost, operating model and partners — while several 2026 planning opportunities are still open.
Community-led · Non-partisan · Evidence-based · Focused on practical recreation access
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One practical model:
a heated seasonal air-supported dome.
a heated seasonal air-supported dome.
2018Delta Council unanimously supported continued work on indoor tennis
2026 design windowPebble Hill Reservoir No. 3 seismic upgrade is listed in Design
$200,000Rogers seed funding for each selected Tennis Canada year-round project
Why this matters
Covered is useful. Enclosed is different.
South Delta residents can play on a number of outdoor courts, including City courts and local clubs. But persistent rain, cold weather and wet surfaces still interrupt tennis for months at a time because Ladner and Tsawwassen do not have a dedicated enclosed indoor tennis facility.
The Ladner Covered Multi-Sport Court is valuable, but it is not the same thing as indoor tennis. The City describes it as a roof-and-lighting project that provides rain protection so people can play or practice outdoors year-round. Its open sides mean winter users still experience outdoor temperatures and wind.
A seasonal air-supported tennis dome is different: the playing area is enclosed, lit and typically heated for the winter season, then the dome can be removed so the courts return to outdoor public use in summer.
City of Delta: Ladner Covered Multi-Sport Court · Tennis Canada: year-round access
Local access for all ages
A local year-round facility can serve lessons, drop-ins, schools, families, leagues, adults and active seniors — not only competitive players.
Use existing assets better
A seasonal dome can turn outdoor courts into winter recreation capacity without necessarily committing Delta to a large permanent recreation building.
Why now
This is not a new idea — but the opportunity is different in 2026.
Delta already examined indoor tennis in 2018 after the loss of the long-running private tennis bubble at the Delta Town & Country Inn. Council unanimously invited DeltaTennis.org to return with governance, preferred locations and a significant financial contribution, while directing Parks, Recreation & Culture staff to continue working toward an innovative, cost-effective solution.
The 2018 process did not produce a year-round South Delta facility. Today, however, there are new external funding and delivery models, a new 25-year Delta Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan under development, and a time-sensitive infrastructure design question at Pebble Hill Reservoir No. 3.
2018 Delta Council record · 2018 PRC Commission record · Delta PRC Master Plan
There is City precedent
In 2018, Delta staff reported three clubs with approximately 550 players and Council unanimously supported continued work. The missing piece was not recognition of the issue; it was turning advocacy into a governed, funded, deliverable project.
Pebble Hill Unit 3 is in Design
Metro Vancouver’s 2026–2030 Financial Plan lists the Pebble Hill Reservoir No. 3 Seismic Upgrade in the Design stage with a planned capital total of about $12.05 million. This does not mean a tennis dome is approved or structurally feasible. It means the question of preserving future recreational compatibility should be asked before the design window closes.
A national partner now exists
The Rogers Year-Round Community Tennis Courts Program presented by Tennis Canada aims for 160 year-round courts at up to 30 facilities by 2029. Selected projects receive $200,000 in seed funding, plus access to facility-development resources and guidance.
What we are asking for
Study the project, not just one site.
We are not asking Council to approve an expensive building today. We are asking Delta to create a credible project path: define the need, compare sites and structures, engage potential partners, test operating economics and bring a recommendation back to Council.
1
Start a formal feasibility and business-case process
Measure demand, winter court-hour need, program mix, capital cost, operating cost, accessibility and community benefit.
2
Compare sites without pre-selecting one
Assess City-owned ground-level sites, existing courts, Pebble Hill Reservoir Unit 3 as a time-sensitive feasibility question, and other viable South Delta locations. Technical, parking, neighbourhood and land-use constraints should decide the site.
3
Engage Tennis Canada and funding partners early
Ask Tennis Canada’s Facilities Development Team to advise on the Rogers program, dome design, operating models and partnership structure. Explore community cost-sharing and public-private delivery rather than assuming the City must fund 100% of the project.
4
Put year-round tennis into current planning
Evaluate the need through Delta’s new Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan and bring a recommended implementation path into future work-plan and capital-planning decisions.
Direct action
Ask Delta Council for the next decision — a real feasibility process.
A respectful personal email can ask Council to turn a long-standing recreation gap into a defined project: study sites, partners, costs and an operating model, then report back publicly.
To: mayor-council@delta.ca
CC: prc@delta.ca
- Fill in your name and full mailing address.
- Review the subject and editable message.
- Add any personal experience that explains why year-round tennis matters to you.
- Open the draft and press Send in your email app.
Your name and address are inserted into the email draft only. This website does not receive or store your message.
FAQ
Questions we expect, and evidence-based answers.
Are we demanding an expensive new tennis centre?
No. The immediate request is a formal feasibility and business-case process. A seasonal air-supported dome may be substantially simpler than a permanent recreation building, but the study should compare capital cost, operating cost, site constraints and long-term value before recommending a model.
Is the Ladner Covered Multi-Sport Court already an indoor solution?
No. It is a useful covered outdoor facility. The City says the $2.1 million project added a roof and lighting to provide rain protection for people to play or practice outdoors year-round. It does not have four enclosed walls and is not a heated winter indoor environment.
Why mention Pebble Hill Reservoir Unit 3?
Because timing matters. Metro Vancouver’s 2026–2030 Financial Plan lists the Unit 3 seismic upgrade in the Design stage. That does not prove a dome can or should be built there. Pebble Hill is a water-reservoir structure, so structural loading, anchors, waterproofing, drainage, emergency access and operations would all need Metro Vancouver approval. The proposal is simply to ask the feasibility question before the seismic design is finalized, rather than after.
What happened when Delta studied indoor tennis in 2018?
Council did not reject the idea. It unanimously invited DeltaTennis.org to submit governance, preferred locations and a significant financial contribution, and directed staff to continue pursuing an innovative, cost-effective solution. Staff also said a business plan and funding strategy were needed. The public 2018 process did not mature into a funded year-round South Delta facility.
April 2018 Council record · March 2018 PRC Commission record
How could a project be funded without the City paying for everything?
Tennis Canada and Rogers currently provide $200,000 in seed funding to each selected Year-Round Community Tennis Courts project and offer planning resources. A useful BC example is Kelowna: its five-court seasonal dome project was announced at $2.9 million, with an estimated $650,000 City contribution, $200,000 from Tennis Canada/Rogers and the balance delivered through a private operating partner. South Delta should test similar public-private and community cost-sharing models rather than assume one funding source.
Why not simply put a dome over the Tsawwassen Tennis Club courts?
That site should not be assumed to be the easiest option. City records show a BC Hydro-to-Delta licence and a Delta-to-Tsawwassen Tennis Club sublicence for the site. BC Hydro also states that buildings within transmission rights-of-way are generally incompatible unless expressly authorized in writing and reviews proposals site by site. A dome or permanent enclosure would therefore need a formal land, safety and right-of-way review before it could be treated as viable.
Delta licence / sublicence record · BC Hydro right-of-way guidance
Why tennis instead of another sport?
This is not an argument against other recreation investments. It identifies a specific infrastructure gap: South Delta already has outdoor tennis demand and courts, but not reliable wet-weather access. A feasibility process lets the City compare this need, cost and partnership potential against other priorities transparently.
Is this a registered non-profit or a formal petition?
No. This is an independent community advocacy initiative. The email tool creates an individual message to Mayor and Council; it is not a formal petition signature. A BC society or other governance structure can be considered later if the initiative reaches the stage of fundraising, contracting or operating a facility.
One practical next step