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The Cruel Experiment: How Basic Income Transformed Lives Until Politicians Pulled the Plug
Description
The Ontario Basic Income Pilot wasn't just another government program. For thousands of struggling Canadians, it was a lifeline that allowed them to breathe for the first time in years. Then a new government snatched it away, pushing many participants deeper into despair than before the experiment began.
If we want to understand the relationship between money and mental health, we need to listen to the stories of people who experienced both having and losing a financial floor beneath them.
When Politicians Play With People's Lives
Imagine finally being able to afford nutritious food instead of "crappy" processed meals. Picture having enough money to escape an apartment with toxic mold. Envision the dignity of no longer needing food banks or soup kitchens that come with judgment and shame.
This wasn't a fantasy for the participants in Ontario's Basic Income Pilot (OBIP). It was their temporary reality.
In 2017, the Ontario government launched an experiment giving selected low-income residents a guaranteed income above the poverty line. The plan was to run the program for three years to evaluate its effects. But when a new conservative government took power in 2018, they immediately canceled it – creating a social whiplash effect that researchers are still documenting today.
What makes this particular study so powerful isn't just the confirmation that giving people money improves their lives. It's what happens when that stability is suddenly ripped away. ... continue reading the article: https://helioxpodcast.substack.com/
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Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter. Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.
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