THUNDER BAY - Enrollment in the Basic Income Pilot in Thunder Bay continues to climb, and even though it has not reached the required 1,000 participants, people working in poverty reduction say there is a lot of local interest in the program, though not enough awareness.
“I think there is enough interest,” said Marie Klassen, director of services with the Lakehead Social Planning Council. “I’m surprise that people are not aware of it. There hasn’t been a lot of real marketing of it. I think a lot of what is coming about is word of mouth.”
The provincial government announced last spring that a Basic Income Pilot would be taking place in Hamilton/Brantford, Lindsay, and Thunder Bay. Eligible participants will receive a basic income of up to $16,989 per year for a single person and up to $24,027 per year for a couple, less 50 per cent of any earned income.
Enrollment packages were sent out to 1,000 Thunder Bay residents last June and basic income cheques were sent later in August.
Peter Milczyn, minister of housing and minister responsible for the province’s poverty reduction strategy, was in Thunder Bay on Tuesday and met with service providers and community agencies to discuss poverty reduction strategies.
According to Milczyn, the pilot program is going very well, with approximately 2,800 people signed up in the three locations.
“It took time at the beginning because it is something very different than what people are used to,” he said. “It took time to explain it, which is why we took the approach of sitting down with each individual, explaining it to them, really giving them all the information so they can provide informed consent to join in and make it clear to them that once in, if for any reason, they can opt out.”
While Milczyn did not have any specific numbers of how many people are enrolled in the pilot in Thunder Bay, he said he is confident that in the not-too distant future the program will reach a full signup.
“I do know that we are doing very well in Hamilton-Brantford and Thunder Bay,” he said. “Lindsay was launched later, so it is still in that catchup phase. We are getting close to a full sign up in these communities.”
The Lakehead Social Planning Council has been referring people to the Basic Income Pilot and information sessions about how to enroll.
“We are getting a lot of inquiries from people who are looking to be enrolled,” Klassen said. “A lot of the folks are not necessarily on Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program, they are people we refer to as the working poor.”
Klassen added that each individual circumstance in the program will be different, but overall the program will be very positive for the city.
“The evaluation is going to tell the story,” she said. “The basic income has worked in a lot of communities. We are hoping that the positive results will impact the folks who are on that. What it might mean is: I can by my groceries, I won’t need to go to the foodbank; I can go to the grocery store.”
The next enrollment session for the Basic Income Pilot to be held in Thunder Bay is on Mar. 6 at the Oliver Road Recreation Centre from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Basic Income Pilot website.
