The provincial government has changed gears as it tries to get people to sign on to the basic income pilot project.
In response to a slow start, the Ministry of Community and Social Services has started hosting in-person information and registration sessions.
The minister, Helena Jaczek, paid a visit to the first of those sessions on Wednesday afternoon at Hamilton’s Central Library.
Only about 800 people in Ontario communities that are part of the pilot, including Hamilton and Brantford, have started receiving monthly basic income deposits after filling out applications that were sent in the mail. The goal is 4,000 participants.
Jaczek acknowledges that the previous approach may have left people “puzzled” or may have even been “intimidating” for some potential recipients.
Jaczek says the theory behind a basic income is “if you’ve got that security of knowing that you’re getting that amount of money” on a monthly basis you can plan your life more easily, maybe “get some further education or training because you’re not constantly worried.”
Potential participants must be between 18 and 64 years old, living in one of the pilot project regions for the last 12 months and living on a low-income (less than $34,000 for a single person and $48,000 for a couple).