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Hamilton is one of four regions that will be taking part in the province’s three-year basic income project.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced details of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot project at LIUNA Station in Hamilton on Monday.
Four-thousand eligible residents in Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Lindsay will be the first to receive a guaranteed minimum income of up to $16,989 per year for a single person, up to $24,027 per year for a couple, and an additional $6,000 per year for a person with a disability.
The province says people receiving money through Ontario Works who enter the pilot will continue to receive the Ontario Drug Benefit, and people on the Ontario Disability Support Program will continue to receive the Ontario Drug Benefit and dental benefits.
The province says the project will assess whether a basic income can better support vulnerable workers, improve health and education outcomes for people on low incomes.
According to a press release, “participants in the pilot will be able to increase their total earnings by combining a basic income with income they earn through work. The basic income amount will decrease by $0.50 for every dollar an individual earns by working.”
The pilot projects will start in late spring in Hamilton, including Brantford and Brant County; and in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area. The third pilot will start by the fall in Lindsay.
Participants will be randomly selected to take part in the initiative.
