Advocate for Basic Income Urges Ontario to Combat Poverty, Not Pursue Class Action Lawsuit
Over the past six years, Jessie Golem has dedicated herself to amplifying the narratives of participants in Ontario’s basic income pilot program.
Having been a beneficiary herself, the Hamilton-based photographer attests to the transformative impact of the program’s commitment to providing three years of assured income.
Among the 4,000 low-income earners who enrolled in the pilot in 2017, Golem balanced four jobs while nurturing aspirations for a full-time photography venture. The initiative presented her with a pivotal opportunity, allowing her to envisage launching her business and surpassing the $34,000 threshold set by the pilot’s parameters.
Regrettably, that opportunity was snatched away. In 2018, the Ford government abruptly terminated the pilot, merely a year into its implementation, overturning the initiative commenced by the previous Liberal administration led by Kathleen Wynne.
During the pilot phase, approximately 4,000 individuals residing in Hamilton, Lindsay, Ontario, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, earning below $34,000 annually were granted nearly $17,000 per year. This sum diminished by 50 cents for each dollar earned through employment, while couples received slightly over $24,000. Additionally, individuals with disabilities were entitled to an extra $6,000.
In a recently certified class-action lawsuit overseen by a Superior Court judge in Lindsay, Ontario, as of March 4, former participants are pursuing damages totaling up to $200 million, alleging that Ontario violated the terms of the contract it had established with them.
Similar to Golem, many participants have shared accounts of experiencing hope as their circumstances improved temporarily, only to regress into poverty following the conclusion of the pilot.