Community news

What an incredible weekend at the Pickleball Ontario Provincial Championships held August 28-31, 2025 at the new Pickleplex Social Club in Downsview, presented by IG Wealth Management!

Hundreds of players from across the province came together to showcase not only outstanding talent, but also amazing sportsmanship and community spirit. A special thank you to our Tournament Director, Ryan Hanes, who donated his time and expertise to make this event a success during a challenging time for Pickleball Ontario. Thank you as well to the athletes, referees, spectators, sponsors, and volunteers who together helped make this first year of the refreshed Ontario Provincial Championships such a resounding success.

As we head into 2026, we’re excited to announce that the tournament season ahead will be building on what worked while reaching out further across the province. We’ll once again host a Provincial Championship tournament before Nationals, giving Ontario players another opportunity to compete at the highest level.

But that’s not all, we’re also introducing a series of regional events designed to bring competitive play closer to communities across the province. These regional tournaments will provide more opportunities for players at all levels to step into a tournament, connect with their communities, and experience the excitement of tournament play without traveling long distances.

Full details about tournament dates, locations, and registration will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more information as we finalize plans for what promises to be another unforgettable tournament season.

Pickleball Ontario is excited to help our community get to know our board members. In this edition, we are pleased to introduce Ken Haggert.

Ken was born and raised in Toronto, where he spent much of his career in Facilities Management, specializing in Door Automation. Now “semi-retired,” he proudly runs his own business, KahRah Enterprises, which focuses on the installation, servicing, and project management of Door Automation systems. Over the years, Ken has developed expert-level skills in this field. Eleven years ago, he and his wife relocated to Kawartha Lakes, a place Ken fondly refers to as home to the best ice cream in Ontario. If you haven’t yet tried Kawartha Dairies ice cream, it’s definitely worth the trip! Ken and his wife have been married for 34 years, and together they’ve fully embraced the active, community-oriented lifestyle of their new home.

Ken discovered pickleball after retiring to Kawartha Lakes, and what began as a new pastime quickly grew into a passion for the sport and its growth. Today, he serves as a Director of the Kawartha Lakes Pickleball Association, where he is deeply involved in supporting players and community development.

Committed to learning and leadership, Ken holds his NCCP Level 1 coaching certification and is currently pursuing Level 2. His dedication to improving player experiences and strengthening organizational foundations makes him a strong addition to the Pickleball Ontario Board.

Ken is an active contributor, sitting on several board committees including Marketing, Affiliation, PCNS (Pickleball Canada National System), and Club Engagement. Through these roles, he is focused on building connections, supporting clubs across the province, and helping guide the future of pickleball in Ontario.

In 1984, Ken graduated from the University of Waterloo, where he earned a Bachelor of Environmental Studies with a minor in Geography.

We are thrilled to have Ken Haggert on the board and look forward to his contributions to Ontario’s pickleball community.

Pickleball Ontario announces the retirement of Head Official Karen Hill after nine years of exemplary service to our officiating program. Karen’s leadership has been instrumental in building a strong foundation for officiating across the province, expanding our roster of certified referees, and developing comprehensive training initiatives including the introduction of the Trainer role. Under her guidance, Ontario has grown from one Certified Referee to five, with additional candidates expected to achieve certification in 2026.

Andrea Blackwell will assume the role of Head Official, with a full transition currently underway. All materials and responsibilities are being formally transferred to ensure continuity in our officiating program as we head into the 2026 tournament season.

We extend our sincere thanks to Karen Hill for her outstanding contributions to Pickleball Ontario and the development of officiating standards across the province. We also congratulate Andrea Blackwell on her new role and look forward to the continued growth of our officiating program under her leadership.

The deadline is approaching to recognize the volunteers who have made pickleball thrive in your community. Nominations for Pickleball Ontario’s Annual Volunteer Awards are due December 31st, with winners announced next year.

Four awards celebrate different contributions to our sport: The Wayne Roswell Builder Award honors those who established programs that drove rapid growth in their region. The Community Award recognizes volunteers who inspire participation and create inclusive programs. The Merrie Lee-Ambassador Award celebrates those who’ve increased awareness and acted as liaisons between Pickleball Ontario and their communities. The Officials Award acknowledges dedicated referees who’ve elevated professionalism at tournaments across Ontario.

Nominees must be Pickleball Ontario members in good standing who reside in Ontario and haven’t previously received the award. To nominate someone, email vp@pickleballontario.org by December 31st with the nominee’s name, club, contact information, accomplishments, your rationale for the nomination, your contact information, and contact details for two supporting nominators.

Full award criteria and submission requirements can be found at https://pickleballontario.org/volunteer-awards-criteria/.

If someone’s volunteer work has made a real difference in your community, take a moment to show your appreciation before the year ends.

Love-The-Game Information Sessions Off to a Great Start

The first Love-The-Game virtual information session was delayed at the last minute due to the Blue Jays’ World Series run, but that didn’t stop 38 club representatives from attending the inaugural session titled “Municipal Matters: Working with Local Government.”

Pickleball Ontario Vice-President Jonathon Moody moderated a discussion about how clubs have partnered with their local municipal governments to develop pickleball venues. Bill O’Byrne from the Peterborough Pickleball Association and Chris Derochie from the North Bay Pickleball Association shared their success stories working with municipalities to support and construct pickleball facilities.

In the second session, 25 club representatives attended “Love-The-Game: Incorporation & HST.” Pickleball Ontario Treasurer Ben Seto moderated a discussion about how and why clubs might consider incorporation, and when charging and collecting HST becomes necessary, regardless of incorporation status. Ben was joined by Shui Luo of Luo Legal to explain incorporation, while Ben presented information about HST requirements.

Our next Love-The-Game Information session will be held on January 27th. The topic: “Drilling with PCNS: Making the Most of PCNS’s Communication, Webpage, and Event-Making Tools.”

For those unfamiliar, PCNS (Pickleball Canada National System) is a comprehensive bilingual platform that all affiliated clubs have access to. It provides clubs with membership management tools including direct signup with one-fee payment to club, provincial, and national levels, automatic receipt of fees to club bank accounts, and full membership tracking. PCNS also offers a free customizable website, event management capabilities for clinics and social events, and mass email communication. It’s an all-in-one system designed to simplify club operations and improve member engagement.

We’re looking for one or two members to share their insights with PCNS during the session. Please drop us a line if interested. Registration for all sessions can be found HERE.

Past Love-The-Game sessions are now posted on the Pickleball Ontario website HERE.

Have a suggestion for a future Love-The-Game session or need the password? We’d love to hear from you at info@pickleballontario.org to share your ideas.

As we close out 2025, I want to start with a heartfelt thank you to Ian, our past president. Ian guided Pickleball Ontario through some truly challenging times and never stopped pushing us forward. From leading our Provincial Championship to success, despite all the unknowns and budget hurdles, to keeping our momentum strong when the path wasn’t always clear, his leadership made all the difference. We’re deeply grateful for everything he did to steady the ship.

I also want to share how honoured I feel to step into the role of President. This past year hasn’t been easy, but the support from our board and our clubs has meant the world. You stuck with us through the transition, and that patience and encouragement reminded me just how special this community really is. To all our clubs across Ontario, you are the heartbeat of Pickleball Ontario, and watching how you rallied together has been inspiring.