HAMILTON—On the May day they learned they had been accepted into the province’s basic income pilot project, the Hamilton couple cried. “I just felt like after so long of everything just constantly going wrong and having the worst kind of luck that we finally had something go right,” said Dan Weiss.He and partner Justine Taylor were “desperate” after both lost “what little work” they had, getting behind on bills and rent and, to top it all off, finding out they were expecting a baby — a little brother for nine-year-old Julia.“We just needed something solid to stand on,” he said.The pair hoped the monthly guaranteed income would give them a chance for opportunity — to move out of a bad living situation, go back to school and start their own businesses — but also to catch up on bills and allow Julia to go on school trips.With the cushion of what was meant to be a three-year program, Taylor also planned to put off finding a new job until baby Orion, who was born in mid-November, turned one.Read more: Basic income pilot project to end March 31100 Canadian CEOs urge Doug Ford to rescue Ontario’s basic income projectCancellation of Ontario’s basic income project sparks global outrage“It gave us room to breathe,” she said.But less than three months later, the new Tory government announced in July it was cancelling the pilot for all 4,000 participants, including 1,000 Hamilton residents.Away at a cottage for a bachelor party, Weiss said he received a message from Taylor breaking the news. “It was devastating,” the 33-year-old said. “I felt like I was punched in the stomach.”“We barely even got a chance to get started.”With the payments wrapping up in March, Weiss fears they’ll be right back where they were before.Taylor, 28, is already looking at job postings and plans to head back to work as soon as Orion will take a bottle ...
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