Province eyes minimum income pilot in bid to reduce poverty
By Tina Njegovanovic
The provincial government is looking at implementing Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) in Ontario as a pilot project.
The project would work to help reduce poverty in Canada, by giving people a basic income that they are able to survive off of.
GMI has been a discussion in Canada before, but has recently becoming something that is being taken seriously. In the 1970s there was a brief introduction of the GMI in Dauphin Manitoba, which was called the Mincome project.
The province is not yet sure which city will be the pilot city.
The federal government is also aware of this implementation and will be watching to see if it is successful so they can spread it all over Canada.
A parliamentary committee spoke to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, asking him to consider introducing minimum income to Canadians.
Poverty is a major issue in Canada, with one in seven living in poverty, according to Canada Without Poverty.
The GMI pilot project would be evaluated to determine if it is effective at reducing poverty rates in Canada.
Details are yet to be determined, but the provincial government seeks to implement the pilot by the end of 2016.
The purpose of the GMI is not to provide someone with an easy life, but merely to provide them with a starting point where they can be secure and able to continue building a life for themselves.
Proponents argue that not only would this be more beneficial than the programs that they have now have in place to help struggling Canadians, it would also be more cost-efficient.
