Dear Urban Diplomat: The pickleball court next door is driving us up the wall

Dear Urban Diplomat, A private school beside our house just started renting out its pickleball courts, and the noise is maddening. Whenever we open a window or venture into the backyard, it’s a cacophony of thwacking balls and squeaking sneakers. We’ve complained, but the school just says it can do what it wants with its property. With every pop of a bouncing ball, I can feel our property value tanking and our sanity slipping away. What to do? —Unholy Racquet, Casa Loma

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Pickleball may be a fad, but NIMBYism is eternal. You can try calling 311—there are bylaws that address “persistent noise” at “unreasonable” hours—but noise is the price we pay for living in a thriving metropolis. Be thankful you’re facing a benign disruption rather than, say, Ontario Line construction. The school will likely find multiple uses for the courts before long (it’s a private school, not a pickleball academy). In the meantime, closed windows and noise-­cancelling headphones are your friends.

Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com