Ontario’s long-awaited basic income pilot project will include 4,000 low-income people in the Hamilton area, Thunder Bay and Lindsay, who will each receive up to $17,000 annually with no strings attached, starting as early as this summer.Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the three-year experiment in Hamilton on Monday as part of a major speech on how the Liberal government plans to ensure all Ontarians, including those struggling in low-wage, precarious work, benefit from the province’s balanced budget and improved economy.“It’s not an extravagant sum by any means. For a single person, we are talking about just under $17,000 a year, but even that amount may make a real difference to someone who is striving to reach for a better life,” she said.“The project will explore the effectiveness of providing a basic income to people who are currently living on low incomes, whether they are working or not,” she said. “People participating in our pilot communities will receive a minimum amount of income each year — a basic income, no matter what.”Under the plan, single adults between the ages of 18 and 64 will receive up to $16,989 annually and couples will receive up to $24,027. People with disabilities will receive an additional $6,000.Single people would have to earn less than about $34,000 to qualify and the income cut-off for couples would be about $48,000, according to a government spokeswoman.First announced in the 2016 budget, the pilot is expected to cost $50 million a year and help the government determine whether a streamlined approach to delivering income support improves health, education and housing outcomes for vulnerable workers and those on social assistance. The pilot also wants to see if providing an income floor below which nobody can fall improves job prospects for those living on low incomes.A similar experiment in Manitoba in the 1970s showed a drop in hospital use, particularly for ...
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