A Basic Income Can Be a Strong Investment in Mental Health

Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot: A Study on Its Impact on Participants’ Mental Health

Over half of Canadians feel “financially paralyzed” by the cost-of-living crisis, according to a recent poll. As life becomes more unaffordable for more people, we need governments to create policies that improve public health and well-being.

Ontario’s Basic Income Pilot

In 2017, the Ontario government, under then-premier Kathleen Wynne, launched the Ontario Basic Income Pilot to test the efficacy of an unconditional cash transfer. A total of 4,000 people were enrolled and the pilot was slated to run in Hamilton, Lindsay, Brantford, and Thunder Bay over a three-year period.

Impact on Participants’ Mental Health

Our study, published in a recent article, looked into one basic income program, the Ontario Basic Income Pilot, and its impact on the lives of those who participated in it. We interviewed 46 participants across four cities included in the pilot and asked about their experiences before, during, and after the pilot.

Structural Violence

The pilot’s premature cancellation was an act of structural violence – a policy decision that caused needless and avoidable harm and suffering. Anthropologist Nancy Scherer-Hughes explains that structural violence refers to “the invisible social machinery of inequality that reproduces social relations of exclusion and marginalization.”

Eradicating Poverty

Poverty is not caused by personal failings. It is the social environment people live in that has the greatest impact on life trajectories. To eradicate poverty, we need policies that address the root of financial hardship. A basic income does just that.

Conclusion

We already have the Canada Child Benefit for families and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for older adults that provide forms of a basic income guarantee, although these benefits must be enlarged to be truly adequate. What we need now is a program that provides a robust income floor beneath which no one can fall. As citizens, we have few ways to hold leaders accountable for acts of structural violence, like cancelling the pilot. A class-action lawsuit lodged against the Ontario government for breach of contract is ongoing; it remains to be seen whether this will prove successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was the Ontario Basic Income Pilot?
A: The Ontario Basic Income Pilot was a three-year program launched in 2017 to test the efficacy of an unconditional cash transfer.

Q: What was the pilot’s goal?
A: The pilot aimed to provide financial support to low-income individuals to help them meet their basic needs and improve their well-being.

Q: What was the outcome of the pilot?
A: Our study found that the pilot had a positive impact on the mental health of participants, reducing their stress and improving their overall well-being.

Q: Why was the pilot cancelled?
A: The pilot was cancelled by the Ontario government in 2018, allegedly due to concerns that it would not help people become “independent contributors to the economy.” However, our study suggests that the cancellation had a negative impact on participants’ mental health.

Q: What is a basic income guarantee?
A: A basic income guarantee is an unconditional cash transfer from government to ensure people can meet their basic needs and live with dignity. It differs from a universal basic income (UBI) model, which provides a set amount to everyone, regardless of need.