It is a heavenly deal 20 years in the making for St Malo ball players.

Seven acres of land along Highway 59 near the St Malo shrine and grotto are to be leased by the Catholic Parish of St Malo to the RM of De Salaberry for one dollar barring any last-minute changes.

The RM council signed off on the 21-year lease agreement at its April 22 meeting.

The agreement stipulates the land will only be used for a baseball facility and community recreation events. It also cannot be used for any purpose “that is inconsistent with the Catholic faith as determined by the landlord acting reasonably.”

As someone who watches a lot of varied sports, it’s always funny to me to see fans insult other team sports throughout their fandom.

In Canada, hockey fans seem to be the most likely to do this, as a result of the sport’s lower international standing, but high prominence in this country.

It’s especially goofy when comparing the NHL to the NBA, as professional basketball has become more and more similar to hockey over the past few years in my opinion.

While the players do hold way more power in the NBA, due to the fact stars generally play 90 per cent of important games, the way the regular season has become less and less important and the obvious changes in rules and increased intensity in the post-season means basketball is becoming much more like hockey.

By now, most Canadians have likely heard more about trade barriers and tariffs than they ever wanted to. Naturally, this has been focused on those that have been imposed by the United States and China which are hurting not only the Canadian economy but the global one as well. But long before these impediments to free trade were top headlines, there have been discussions and challenges on trade barriers being applied closer to home.

While Canadians have now learned a great deal about international tariffs, most were unlikely aware of the restrictions on trade that exist between provinces. Despite agreements such as the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the New West Partnership, there have always been exceptions and carve outs that have resulted in trade barriers between provinces. In fact, estimates of the costs of these interprovincial trade barriers are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

A recent study indicated that the removal of these trade barriers between provinces could result in a boost to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product by between 4.4 percent and 7.9 percent. Another showed that true free trade between provinces could grow the Canadian economy by up to $200 million and, just as importantly, lower prices by as much as 15 percent. All of this is particularly important now as Canada and other countries struggle with the imposition of tariffs by the United States and by China. It is important that everything within our nations control is done to strengthen the economy, lower prices and create jobs.

Interprovincial trade barriers can take many forms. They are often the result of different regulations between provinces. These can result in different labelling requirements or safety certifications. It can take the form of transportation regulations or different standards for professional accreditations for a variety of occupations. All of these place artificial and costly barriers for products and services within the same country.

The $8.47-million RM of De Salaberry budget has millions dedicated to the future of recreation and infrastructure for growth in its communities.

Council at its budget meeting April 22 did pass a lower mill rate for rural and St Malo LUD residents to temper the tax increase with average assessments up 24 percent, but taxes are still going to be higher this year.

Rural residents will see an average 17.8 percent increase with a mill rate of 8.975. St Malo LUD homeowners will see an average 14 percent increase with a mill rate of 11.724. The RM is collecting over $550,000 more in municipal taxes this year, though spending is slightly down with less money coming out of reserves.

The De Salaberry Recreation Facility gets the biggest investment to finish phase two of its renovations. Work started last fall on the $8.7-million phase, so the budget only has $6.2 million dedicated to the arena this year. The hope is to get most of the work done by this December.