The Spec
Five years ago this week, the Ontario Basic Income Pilot was suddenly cancelled, throwing the lives of 4,000 courageous participants into chaos.
The pilot, conceived by the Kathleen Wynne Liberal government was a critical social policy test: Could providing a cash transfer to low-income Ontarians help improve health, support mental well-being, move people into the jobs of the future and enable people to maintain affordable housing?
Participants came from Hamilton-Brantford, Thunder Bay and the town of Lindsay. They were chosen randomly following an application process. Those selected could have received between $17,000 to $24,000 a year for the planned three-year duration of the pilot.
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