Aug 01, 2018
Advocates of basic income are blasting the decision by Ontario's newly-elected right-wing government to kill the province's pilot project on the anti-poverty scheme.
"It is just so incredibly WRONG," tweeted writer Scott Santens in a thread denouncing the decision.
"Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
The move was announced Tuesday by Lisa MacLeod, the province's Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, who said, "We're going to hit the pause button on the previous government's patchwork system and replace it with a system that helps stabilize people in need and support them to succeed." The program, she asserted, is "not doing what it's intended to do and it's quite expensive."
The three-year project began in 2017 under the previous government and involved 4,000 low-income participants in five communities. Participants must have earned under C$34,000 per year if single or under $48,000 a year for a couple. Those with a disability would have received an additional $500 per month. Notably, it was "already showing extremely promising results," said Taylor Jo Isenberg, managing director at the Economic Security Project, who called the decision to scrap it "a short-sighted and irresponsible one."
"I'm in shock," said Dave Cherkewsk of Hamilton, one of the communities taking part in the experiment. "I had a three-year plan and now it's gone."
"I am angry," said Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. "I am angry on behalf of the 1,000 Hamiltonians who were promised they could participate in this pilot project. They were sold a bill of goods by the Ford government in the election. They were lied to."
Ford is Ontario's recently-elected Premier Doug Ford--a man some dub Canada's Donald Trump.
\u201cAlmost??? Hah. This is pure ideology. @FordNation gives not a fuck about the poor, many of who are women and children. #onpoli #basicincome\u201d— Antonia Zerbisias (@Antonia Zerbisias) 1533070229
\u201cAbsolutely disgraceful and short sighted move from the new #Ontario government in scrapping the #BasicIncome experiments underway. Standing in solidarity with our Canadian colleagues tonight- the Ford administration is on the wrong side of history in so many ways\u201d— Jamie Cooke (@Jamie Cooke) 1533067802
Doug Ford's government just canceled the basic income program it promised during the election to keep, then slashed income support increases in half.
Liars and thieves. https://t.co/6J7JFFwuqq
-- Billy (@BillyArmagh) July 31, 2018
Reacting to the scrapping of the basic income project as well as the announcement that planned increases in rates to the welfare programs Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program Opposition would be slashed in half, opposition leader Andrea Horwarth said Ford's plan was "disgusting."
"Doug Ford's decision to slash the meager increases to social assistance is appalling, it drags Ontario backwards, and it pushes those already at a disadvantage even deeper into poverty," she said.
Among those urging Ontarians to call up officials to let them know what they think of the cuts was Roderick Benns, author of Basic Income: How a Canadian Movement Could Change the World.
He argued that "it's time to react to the unkindness. It's time to make our voices heard." He added, "Tell them to let the pilot finish and let the third-party evaluators do their job during and afterwards."
Santens also urged people to call representatives to voice support for the basic income project, and tearing down MacLeod's claim that it costs too much, he quipped: "Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Advocates of basic income are blasting the decision by Ontario's newly-elected right-wing government to kill the province's pilot project on the anti-poverty scheme.
"It is just so incredibly WRONG," tweeted writer Scott Santens in a thread denouncing the decision.
"Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
The move was announced Tuesday by Lisa MacLeod, the province's Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, who said, "We're going to hit the pause button on the previous government's patchwork system and replace it with a system that helps stabilize people in need and support them to succeed." The program, she asserted, is "not doing what it's intended to do and it's quite expensive."
The three-year project began in 2017 under the previous government and involved 4,000 low-income participants in five communities. Participants must have earned under C$34,000 per year if single or under $48,000 a year for a couple. Those with a disability would have received an additional $500 per month. Notably, it was "already showing extremely promising results," said Taylor Jo Isenberg, managing director at the Economic Security Project, who called the decision to scrap it "a short-sighted and irresponsible one."
"I'm in shock," said Dave Cherkewsk of Hamilton, one of the communities taking part in the experiment. "I had a three-year plan and now it's gone."
"I am angry," said Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. "I am angry on behalf of the 1,000 Hamiltonians who were promised they could participate in this pilot project. They were sold a bill of goods by the Ford government in the election. They were lied to."
Ford is Ontario's recently-elected Premier Doug Ford--a man some dub Canada's Donald Trump.
\u201cAlmost??? Hah. This is pure ideology. @FordNation gives not a fuck about the poor, many of who are women and children. #onpoli #basicincome\u201d— Antonia Zerbisias (@Antonia Zerbisias) 1533070229
\u201cAbsolutely disgraceful and short sighted move from the new #Ontario government in scrapping the #BasicIncome experiments underway. Standing in solidarity with our Canadian colleagues tonight- the Ford administration is on the wrong side of history in so many ways\u201d— Jamie Cooke (@Jamie Cooke) 1533067802
Doug Ford's government just canceled the basic income program it promised during the election to keep, then slashed income support increases in half.
Liars and thieves. https://t.co/6J7JFFwuqq
-- Billy (@BillyArmagh) July 31, 2018
Reacting to the scrapping of the basic income project as well as the announcement that planned increases in rates to the welfare programs Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program Opposition would be slashed in half, opposition leader Andrea Horwarth said Ford's plan was "disgusting."
"Doug Ford's decision to slash the meager increases to social assistance is appalling, it drags Ontario backwards, and it pushes those already at a disadvantage even deeper into poverty," she said.
Among those urging Ontarians to call up officials to let them know what they think of the cuts was Roderick Benns, author of Basic Income: How a Canadian Movement Could Change the World.
He argued that "it's time to react to the unkindness. It's time to make our voices heard." He added, "Tell them to let the pilot finish and let the third-party evaluators do their job during and afterwards."
Santens also urged people to call representatives to voice support for the basic income project, and tearing down MacLeod's claim that it costs too much, he quipped: "Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
Advocates of basic income are blasting the decision by Ontario's newly-elected right-wing government to kill the province's pilot project on the anti-poverty scheme.
"It is just so incredibly WRONG," tweeted writer Scott Santens in a thread denouncing the decision.
"Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
The move was announced Tuesday by Lisa MacLeod, the province's Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, who said, "We're going to hit the pause button on the previous government's patchwork system and replace it with a system that helps stabilize people in need and support them to succeed." The program, she asserted, is "not doing what it's intended to do and it's quite expensive."
The three-year project began in 2017 under the previous government and involved 4,000 low-income participants in five communities. Participants must have earned under C$34,000 per year if single or under $48,000 a year for a couple. Those with a disability would have received an additional $500 per month. Notably, it was "already showing extremely promising results," said Taylor Jo Isenberg, managing director at the Economic Security Project, who called the decision to scrap it "a short-sighted and irresponsible one."
"I'm in shock," said Dave Cherkewsk of Hamilton, one of the communities taking part in the experiment. "I had a three-year plan and now it's gone."
"I am angry," said Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. "I am angry on behalf of the 1,000 Hamiltonians who were promised they could participate in this pilot project. They were sold a bill of goods by the Ford government in the election. They were lied to."
Ford is Ontario's recently-elected Premier Doug Ford--a man some dub Canada's Donald Trump.
\u201cAlmost??? Hah. This is pure ideology. @FordNation gives not a fuck about the poor, many of who are women and children. #onpoli #basicincome\u201d— Antonia Zerbisias (@Antonia Zerbisias) 1533070229
\u201cAbsolutely disgraceful and short sighted move from the new #Ontario government in scrapping the #BasicIncome experiments underway. Standing in solidarity with our Canadian colleagues tonight- the Ford administration is on the wrong side of history in so many ways\u201d— Jamie Cooke (@Jamie Cooke) 1533067802
Doug Ford's government just canceled the basic income program it promised during the election to keep, then slashed income support increases in half.
Liars and thieves. https://t.co/6J7JFFwuqq
-- Billy (@BillyArmagh) July 31, 2018
Reacting to the scrapping of the basic income project as well as the announcement that planned increases in rates to the welfare programs Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program Opposition would be slashed in half, opposition leader Andrea Horwarth said Ford's plan was "disgusting."
"Doug Ford's decision to slash the meager increases to social assistance is appalling, it drags Ontario backwards, and it pushes those already at a disadvantage even deeper into poverty," she said.
Among those urging Ontarians to call up officials to let them know what they think of the cuts was Roderick Benns, author of Basic Income: How a Canadian Movement Could Change the World.
He argued that "it's time to react to the unkindness. It's time to make our voices heard." He added, "Tell them to let the pilot finish and let the third-party evaluators do their job during and afterwards."
Santens also urged people to call representatives to voice support for the basic income project, and tearing down MacLeod's claim that it costs too much, he quipped: "Too costly? Unsustainable? BULLSHIT. What's unsustainable and far too costly is poverty. Not having a financial floor is unsustainable. In Ontario alone the full cost of poverty is upwards of $30 billion, which is about the cost of UBI for all of Canada."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.