Ontario Ditches Its ‘Free Money’ Experiment Because It’s ‘Expensive And Unsustainable’

I can’t believe leaders actually thought this was even worth testing. What did they THINK the results would be?

For those who don’t know, Ontario decided to launch a pilot program involving handing out “free money.” Basically, 4,000 low-income participants in the area would receive a “basic income” directly from the government every month. They started rolling this thing out over the summer.

They initially said singles would receive about $12,570, and couples could receive up to $24,027 in addition to their existing benefits, like disability or whatever. From there, researchers would keep tabs on the recipients to see if they could see improvements in various aspects of their lives.

So. How did it work out? Eh…not so good. As it turns out, a universal basic income rots. They’re trashing the entire program because it’s “expensive and unsustainable.”

WOWOWOWOWOWOW. Who could’ve guessed?!

…the new government seemingly reversed its position on basic income. On Tuesday, Lisa MacLeod, the Ontario minister responsible for social services, announced the end of the pilot, which she described as “quite expensive”, adding that it was “clearly not the answer for Ontario families”.

She did not back her stance with any data, despite being pressed by reporters. “It was certainly not going to be sustainable,” she said. “Spending more money on a broken program wasn’t going to help anyone.”

The Guardian quoted one participant at the end of its article. He was all, “With basic income I will be able to clarify my dream and actually make it a reality…Because I can focus all my effort on that and not worry about, ‘Well, I need to pay my $520 rent, I need to pay my $50 cellphone, I need to eat and do other things.’”

Well guess what buddy… WELCOME TO LIFE. We all have other things we want to do, but we ALL have to focus on bills and other things. That’s just life. It shouldn’t be up to the government to make your dreams a reality. Want the government’s help? Ask them to CRAWL OUT and allow you to keep more of your own money.

But there you have it. Ontario is ditching the pilot program, because handing out “free money” is really expensive after all.

h/t The Guardian