Residents of Lindsay along with Thunder Bay and Hamilton have been chosen to be the first in Ontario to receive a guaranteed minimum income as part of a new provincial pilot project.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced made the announcement today at Liuna Station in Hamilton on the province’s three-year basic income project. The project will look at the effectiveness of ensuring a basic level of income for those who aren’t making enough whether they are working or not. “People participating in our pilot communities will receive a minimum amount of income each year, a basic income, no matter what.” she said.
The project will start for people making just under $17,000 a year. They will receive up to $16,989 per year, less 50 per cent of any income they earn. Couples will receive up to $24,027 per year, less 50 per cent of any income they earn. People with disabilities will receive up to an additional $6,000 per year.
Those living in the regions chosen will have to apply for the supplement and 4,000 people will be randomly selected. “We have chosen these communities intentionally because they are the right size and they have the right mix of population,” Wynne told reporters.
The program will cost $50 million per year for each of the three years the pilot is expected to run.
More to come….
photo credit: MorboKat Stock Photography – Canadian Money via photopin (license)
