The Provincial Liberals want your input on the idea of providing Ontarians with a guaranteed basic income.
Right now, the government is consulting residents about a pilot project to test whether the idea of a basic income would serve people better than current social assistance programs such as Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).
The idea comes from a discussion paper penned by former Senator Hugh Segal, who suggests a guaranteed income would be approximately $1,320 a month, with an extra $500 a month for people with disabilities. Segal suggests this be done through a negative income tax rate, which would top up all recipients to 75% of the poverty line, regardless of their employment status. He does not suggest the government should simply remove all other social programs and replace them with a single cheque, nor does he suggest the government give a taxable income to all Ontarians, regardless of their poverty level.
Speaking on CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon Minister of Community and Social Services Helena Jaczek says the goal is to test whether a basic income would successfully reduce the social costs of poverty.
“We’re looking at innovative ways to hopefully reduce poverty and to provide income support more efficiently,” Jaczek says, “perhaps, even, reducing costs in the long term. In other words, reducing negative health incomes, or maybe encouraging people to seek employment while not worrying about having a roof over their heads. They may well, in fact, live better lives and reduce the whole administrative burden on government.”
She says the issue sounds very simple, but it's actually complex to administer.
“First of all, how do you set the rate?” Jaczek asks. “How much money are you going to allow everyone to have? How are you going to administer it? We’re looking at a pilot because it’s extremely complicated. Former Senator Segal has given us a great deal to think about in his discussion paper.”
Progressive Conservative Finance Critic Vic Fedeli, also speaking on Ottawa Now says a basic income is just a Band-Aid solution to the problems Ontario is facing.
“According to the CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, they have made Ontario the most expensive jurisdiction in which to do business, and that means also in which to run your family,” Fedeli says. “That’s why they’re scrambling for these Band-Aid programs to cover over everything instead of fixing the real problem, like making energy affordable.”
The consultation can be found online here and if you want to read Segal’s discussion paper, you can find it here.
A public consultation is also presently scheduled to be in Ottawa on January 24, 2017, at the R.A. Centre.