Basic-income experiment cancelled on opinion, not facts

Re: Pilot program was ‘disincentive’ to find employment: MacLeod — Aug. 2

I am disappointed that Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod cancelled the basic income experiment launched by the previous Liberal government just as it got going. But I find it absolutely disturbing when I see a senior cabinet minister making important decisions that affect the lives of thousands of vulnerable Ontarians based on nothing more than an opinion. The whole basic income experiment was designed to determine what the facts are in a guaranteed income scenario in different communities. The decision was solely based on opinion — a low opinion of the nature of people on social assistance: They’re lazy. Give them money and they won’t bother working.

There is some evidence of whether this is true or not. In the early 1970s, Manitoba instituted a “Mincome” experiment to see what would happen if low-income people were given money with no strings attached. A secondary analysis of the data showed that two groups of recipients did work less — new mothers and teenagers. New mothers stayed home to care for their infants, and teens stayed in school and graduated because they didn’t have to work to support their families. These are exactly the two groups who we would want to be able to work less.

On the flip side, credible research has shown that poverty has a huge cost to society. Low income leads to poorer health and has a direct cost to the health-care system. Poverty has also been shown to incur higher costs to the police and justice systems, public education and more. A 2016 study of the economic cost of poverty in Ontario pegged it at between $32 billion and $38 billion annually.

Isn’t it time our new provincial government stopped making policy based on their personal biases, and treated our tax dollars like they are worthy of being spent on what is, not what they imagine?

Ernie Ginsler

Kitchener