Got questions about the basic income pilot project? Come to the library on Monday

A new basic income project is coming to Hamilton in the coming weeks.

The provincial government unveiledthethree-year pilot project based inHamilton, Lindsay and Thunder Bay last month. The Liberals say itwill cost $50 milliona year and reach 4,000 households.

• Ontario basic income pilot project to launch in Hamilton, Lindsay and Thunder Bay

OnMonday evening at 7 p.m., the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction is hosting a basic income town hall at the central library.

In advance, CBC Hamilton asked roundtable executive director Tom Cooper about the project, and what people should expect. Here's what he had to say.

Q: What's your understanding of how this project will work?

A: We don't have all the information yet, but the premierwas in town about a month ago, and announced that Hamilton, along with two other communities in Ontario would be testing the idea of a basic income.

The idea is to provide over the next three years, 1,000 people in our community as well as some people in Brant County I believe, with up to $17,000 a year and there's very few strings attached to it.

Really, the only requirement to participate is that people need to be living on a low income. So it could be people on social assistance, either on Ontario Works or ODSP. It could be people who work, but aren't earning enough at their jobs to move out of poverty.

So what the basic income will do is provide a significant addition, hopefully, for some people.

Q: So what don't we know about the project?

A: The town Hall is really an opportunity to hear from some of the provincial officials who are running it, and to enable Hamiltonians to ask some questions about how the project is going to roll out and how people are going to be selected.

We understand it's going to be randomized, that people will receive invitations to participate in the mail. But we don't have a whole lot of details beyond that yet.

Q: What do you think this project could mean for Hamilton?

A: It's 1,000 people maximum, and we know poverty remains a significant challenge for many people. There's around 50,000 people who rely on provincial social assistance programs, either Ontario Works or ODSP, so unfortunately, even though Hamilton was chosen as one of the sites, it's only one in 50 who will have an opportunity to participate.

In a sense, it's a little bit of a lottery I suppose. Maybe that's not the way we'd like to see social policy develop, but I think at the end of the day we have to remember that this is a bit of an experiment that the province is testing what the outcomes of a basic income will be.

We're pretty confident that the results will show that people are significantly better off as a result of getting a little better income and having income redistributed.

We think from a personal level, people will see those benefits. They'll be able to stay in affordable housing for example, they won't be evicted for economic reasons. They'll be able to maybe stop going to food banks they'll be able to stay healthier.

Q: Can you tell uswhat's happening for your event?

A: It's Monday evening at the central library. We're running it from around 7 p.m. until close to 9 p.m.It'll be an opportunity for Hamiltonians to hear a little bit more about the project, hear from some of the provincial officials who'll be rolling it out, and just ask questions.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.