Nanaimo Votes to Keep Westwood Lake Indoor Tennis Bubble Open as Public Facility

Emma MacLeod

10/21/20262 min read

Nanaimo’s indoor tennis bubble at Westwood Lake will remain open after city council reversed course on plans that would have seen the facility shut down later this year.

The City of Nanaimo said council voted at a special in-camera meeting on Oct. 14 to retain the bubble, located on Arbot Road next to Westwood Lake Park.

The facility will continue operating under the direction of a local non-profit and will become publicly accessible rather than remaining a private tennis club.

The decision follows weeks of lobbying from club members and other residents concerned about losing one of the community’s limited options for indoor tennis.

Community Campaigned to Keep Bubble Open

The future of the facility came into question after the city announced in September that it had purchased the property occupied by the private Westwood Lake Tennis Club.

The club had been listed for sale for more than a year.

The city initially planned to close the tennis operation after taking ownership of the land, with the bubble originally expected to come down in mid-December.

That prompted members and supporters to campaign for the facility to remain available, particularly during the colder months when outdoor courts become less practical.

Whitman Tomusiak, a tennis coach with the Westwood Lake Tennis Club, welcomed the city’s decision.

“The city did actually do a really good job of being adaptive to this situation,” he said.

“I’m happy, and even surprised that they sort of won that battle.”

Non-Profit to Operate Facility for Next Year

Tomusiak said the Nanaimo and Area Indoor Tennis Society will operate the bubble as a public facility for the next year.

City staff will now work on an operating agreement with the non-profit.

The existing Westwood Lake Tennis Club is scheduled to close on Nov. 1.

Tomusiak said converting the facility to public use could expand access to indoor tennis in Nanaimo, particularly through the winter.

The arrangement also gives the city and local tennis community more time to determine what a permanent indoor facility could look like.

Property Originally Purchased to Expand Westwood Lake Park

Nanaimo announced its acquisition of the property on Sept. 16 as part of plans to expand Westwood Lake Park.

The purchase is expected to add roughly one hectare to the park, which borders a public beach and connects with a network of mountain biking trails.

City officials have said the additional land could eventually provide more parking and improve access to surrounding recreation areas.

At the time of the purchase, Charlotte Davis, Nanaimo’s director of parks and recreation, said the city had bought the property rather than the private tennis business and therefore did not have a mandate to continue operating the club.

Davis also suggested that the long-term future of indoor tennis could involve a facility at Beban Park, a more central location that could provide wider public access.

Long-Term Future Still Uncertain

Any new indoor tennis facility at Beban Park could still be years away, creating concern that Nanaimo would lose indoor courts in the meantime.

Tomusiak said he was never opposed to making the existing facility public or eventually moving tennis elsewhere in the city.

His concern was ensuring players continued to have somewhere to play while longer-term plans were developed.

“I’m sure eventually it will turn into a city park, just like the city planned,” he said.

“Tennis will just move somewhere else in town in a couple years – we'll figure that out and hopefully keep it going with even better courts then.”

For now, council’s decision means the Westwood Lake bubble will remain standing and transition from a private club to a public indoor tennis facility while the city works toward a longer-term solution.

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