James Bareman

The boys were wondering if the new chipped wheel tractor would out pull the 2 track. Looks like a draw. Running out of things to service before go time.

There is not one metric today that is better than when @stephenharper led Canada. More than a decade of Liberals and Canada has been in a steady state of decline. Happiness Levels Canada's ranking in the World Happiness Report has declined significantly since 2015. In the 2015 report, Canada ranked 5th globally. By 2024, it had fallen to 15th, with young people under 30 ranking 58th, among the worst global declines. In 2025, Canada dropped further to 18th, marking its lowest position since polling began in 2005, and was labeled one of the "largest losers" in happiness over the past two decades. This trend contrasts with earlier stability; for instance, Canada ranked 6th in 2013. Cost of Living The Consumer Price Index (CPI) provides a historical view of cost-of-living changes. From 2006 to 2026, Canada's CPI (base 2002=100) rose from around 109 in 2006 to 165 in 2026, reflecting cumulative inflation of about 51%. Annual inflation rates varied: under Harper (2006-2015), averages hovered around 1.5-2%, with a spike to 2.9% in 2011 but a low of 0.3% in 2009 amid the financial crisis. Under Trudeau (2016-2025), inflation averaged higher, peaking at 6.8% in 2022, then easing to 2.4% in 2024 and 1.9% in 2025. Overall, the all-items CPI increased from 141.6 in 2021 to 164.2 in 2025, with food up 24% and shelter up 23% in that period. This has eroded purchasing power, with real wages struggling to keep pace in recent years. Healthcare Surveys and Wait Times Healthcare satisfaction and access have deteriorated. In 2024, only 45% of Canadians reported satisfaction with wait times for initial specialist consultations, down from higher levels pre-2015. A 2022 poll found just 15% satisfied with access to care, compared to 29% in the U.S. Wait times for procedures have nearly tripled since the early 1990s, rising by one-third post-pandemic. The Fraser Institute's 2025 report estimates Canadians waited for 1.4 million procedures, with median wait times from GP referral to treatment at 27.7 weeks—up from 19 weeks in 2015 and far higher than 9.3 weeks in 1993. Under Harper, wait times were targeted with $1B investments, stabilizing around 18-19 weeks by 2014. International comparisons show Canada with the longest specialist waits among Commonwealth countries (62% wait >1 month in 2020). A 2026 CIHI update indicates only 8/10 patients receive priority procedures within benchmarks, but overall satisfaction remains low. Additional Metrics for Context GDP per Capita Growth: Annual real GDP per capita growth averaged 0.5% under Harper (2006-2015), but slowed to 0.3% under Trudeau (2015-2024)—the worst among recent long-serving PMs. Adjusted for population surges, per-person output stagnated or fell in 8 of the last 9 quarters into 2025. Canada's gap with the U.S. widened from ~20% behind in 2015 to over 40% by 2024. Federal Debt Levels Debt exploded under Trudeau, from $628.9B CAD in 2015 to $1.17T by 2023 (86% increase), with deficits every year, peaking at $314B in 2020-21. Under Harper, debt rose from $458B in 2008 to $617B in 2015 amid the crisis, but returned to surplus ($1.9B) in 2014-15. Total debt is projected at $2.1T by 2024/25. Housing Affordability The Bank of Canada's Housing Affordability Index shows worsening conditions, with housing costs as a share of disposable income rising from ~35% in 2015 to over 50% by 2024. RBC's measure hit 63.7% in Q4 2023 (worst-ever), easing slightly to 59.5% in Q2 2024, but still near peaks. House prices outpaced income by 37% since 2015; the price-to-income ratio jumped from ~9 in 2007 to 16 in 2022. Real Wages Growth Inflation-adjusted hourly wages grew 1.04% annually under Harper (2007-2015), outpacing the 0.68% under Trudeau's first term (2015-2019). Overall, wages rose 2.6% in real terms from 2014-2015 (Harper's last year), but growth slowed post-2015 amid higher inflation. So, where did ALL the money the Liberals spent go?

It's quite amusing to see how many Americans are complaining about the time of the gold medal game. Meanwhile, Canadians are just like, "Cool, beers at 5 a.m., it is." It's not that hard.

So Barton on CBC yesterday comes up with all sorts of speculative reasons as to why Matt Jeneroux crossed the floor which her listeners no doubt take as fact & then all but admits on a hot mic moment that it’s “all made up anyway” Defund the CBC

So not a farm truck then? #4HAlberta

Do you support the $2.5 Billion payment announced today that will be given to Ukraine?

@devinschutter Looks like a shop full!

The grind continues, forever thankful for the people that support me!

🧪 Safe, science-based crop protection keeps food on Canadian tables. Growers need timely access to modern tools, backed by transparent, evidence-based regulation. Sustained investment in research and science is essential to the resilience of Canada’s food system. 📄 Learn more: fvgc.ca/fvgcs-policy-p… #CropProtection #cdnag #FoodSecurity #cdnpoli

@bavoter That’s a great idea. But I’m a socialist. I want everything for free.

@jamesbareman Pump it

What’s the best way to get a well flowing? 2” bore. Water is right at the surface #agchat #wannabecowboy

When it comes to the Alberta Potato Conference & Tradeshow, we know a true champion has to be strong from the ground up! 🥔🏠 A HUGE thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Taber Home & Farm Centre! We appreciate your support throughout the years! #2025PGAAGM @taberhomefarm

Pretty excited about this expansion. Shane and the team are great to work with!

What is a “generational investment budget” It is a wealth transfer to the current generation from the next.

@NickPloeg We originally had a Valmar on it but updated to the Degelman spreader because it held a bit more. A sustainability grant from McCain helped with the cost of that.

@NickPloeg We’ve grown conventional rye out a few times. It will do well if your rate is high enough. Most ends up in the feed market and not too profitable, but what is right now?

This👇”story” is an object lesson for why trust in legacy media has plummeted, and alt right media audiences have grown. Here CTV “digital news producer” @AngeMAmato (she/her) writes a story about “experts” calling the use of Sec. 33 “a threat to democracy.” Who are the experts? A left wing academic, and a left wing activist. The latter, Howard Sapers, is a former Liberal MLA (which the article does not mention) for a party that is so marginal, it has not elected an MLA in over a decade. For good measure CTV goes on to quote two left wing union bosses, who of course are predictably outraged. A more accurate headline would be “Four people on the left angry about use of Notwithstanding Clause.” Which is the opposite of news. It’s the ultimate “Dog Bites Man” non-story. Did the CTV producer make any effort to post a balanced story by asking for comment from academics / lawyers / think tanks who support use of Sec. 33? Did she call the @CDNConstFound or the @MLInstitute’s Judicial Power Project? Did she attempt to reach any of these four scholars, who just published their views in a @nationalpost op-ed last week? macdonaldlaurier.ca/its-the-judges… Did she have an editor who asked why her story lacked any attempt at balance? And did anyone at CTV pause for a moment to ponder how tendentious it is to accuse a democratically elected legislature of acting “undemocratically” by invoking a power whose entire purpose is to ensure democratic accountability? She provides some historical context about prior use of Sec. 33. Why does that context not include the fact that most democratically elected provincial governments (including Alberta under Premier Lougheed, and Saskatchewan under NDP Premier Blakeney) agreed to adopt the Charter *only if* it included the Notwithstanding Clause to allow democratically elected Legislatures to ensure a democratic check and balance against the abuse of undemocratic, unaccountable judicial power? Why does she not mention that for the first 33 years of the Charter era, the Canadian Courts ruled that there was no constitutionally protected right to strike? Why doesn’t she quote an expert pointing out that Allan Blakeney defended the Saskatchewan Legislature’s 1982 use of Sec. 33 to end a strike as “a legitimate use of the Notwithstanding Clause?” Or refer to Peter Lougheed’s 1987 commitment to use Sec. 33 if the courts invented a right to strike? Many thoughtful criticisms can be levelled against Section 33. Being undemocratic is not one of them. So why do we see so much agitprop like this masquerading as news from so many legacy media outlets? IMO, there are two possible answers: 1) They are blind to their own biases; and / or 2) People like @AngeMAmato believe that they have a moral imperative to be “progressive journalists” which trumps the boringly old fashioned professional imperative to be objective and balanced. Whatever the reason, “journalists” like this have no one to blame but themselves for growing distrust of legacy media, and the consequent emergence of non traditional media platforms.

PMRA is broken in Canada. The everything is bad mentality is harming Canadian agriculture. The delays. The lack of focus on the things the matter. All the burdensome regulations. It all drives out investment in Canada. This needs to be fixed now. producer.com/news/regulator…

@BadWeatherKyle @NDubuc Cool article. All those zoomed in photos from summer of 2022 were right over top of our farm. We actually used satellite imagery to calculate severity of damage in a bunch of our fields and there was huge claims in the potatoes.

The severe thunderstorm of August 20 has left a scar on the landscape of southern Alberta that is visible from space. Here are 12 remarkable Alberta hail scars as seen on satellite imagery: badweatherkyle.com/when-hail-scar… #abstorm

Great alternative to cereals in your rotation.

By the time you realize what’s most important in life it’s usually too late.