COVID-19 is changing the conversation around Basic Income
“Academics and advocates from around the world have used this moment to urge political leaders to see the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to “save lives” and test a universal basic income.
With the economy unfurling at the mercy of the current COVID-19 public health crisis, the Canadian government has introduced new measures to get money directly into people’s pockets. It’s a live test of a kind of guaranteed basic income. Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough told the Canadian Press recently it could be a preview of a new normal.
“This could be the impetus to really, radically simplify how people access income support from the federal government,” she said.”
From an excellent article by Zi-Ann Lum presenting Basic Income in a historic context and making a case for Basic Income in these historic times
Zi-Ann Lum
Politics Reporter, HuffPost Canada
“‘I can’t stockpile,’ says ex-basic income recipient
When coronavirus panic shopping became a thing, Ashley was constantly reminded of not having the financial means to buy her own emergency reserve of food. The viral photos and videos of people hoarding groceries annoyed her. “I can’t stockpile,” she said. “Where’s my help?”
The single mother, who didn’t want her full name published because of concerns about the stigma of being on welfare, lives in subsidized housing in Hamilton with her 13-year-old son. Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, her income comes solely from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) cheques she gets at the end of each month. She is not eligible for the government’s new $2,000 monthly CERB payments. The Ontario government has promised new discretionary benefits for those on social assistance, but details are thin.
“There is really nothing available,” she said about COVID-19-related support for those on social assistance. “No increase in cheques either.”
She receives less than $21,000 annually. It takes careful budgeting to make sure she meets her basic needs and those of her autistic son. “There’s more month at the end of my money,” she joked over the phone. “
Read this piece by Zi-Ann Lum from Huffington Post, Basic Income’s Lessons For Health Care's '$1,007 Sandwich
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/covid-universal-basic-income_ca_5e7e6f54c5b66149226773ba
