Ontario’s basic income pilot project ‘failing,’ says Tory government
TORONTO — A basic income pilot project aimed at reducing poverty in Ontario is failing and many of the participants have dropped out, the province’s Progressive Conservative government said Wednesday as it defended its controversial decision to wind down the program.
Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod said pilot participants would receive their cheques past August, and the program’s end date would be announced later this month.
“I just wanted to point out, to begin with, the basic income research project is failing, and it’s plain and simple,” MacLeod said during Question Period. “The (previous) Liberal government had difficulty signing people up for this approach. Now a sizable number, over 25 per cent, have either dropped out or were failing to meet their obligations such as filing their taxes. It calls into question whether the $150 million being spent is actually going to be with valid research.”
MacLeod announced last week that the program launched last year by the previous Liberal government would come to an end because it was expensive and was not doing what it was intended to do. She downplayed concerns from some community agencies that the government would stop the payments at the end of August.