How would your life be different if your income were taken care of?

Last April, the provincial government announced an experiment to test basic income in three areas of Ontario. This month, residents of Flamborough will have a chance to apply to be part of the Ontario Basic Income pilot.

The idea of basic income is to provide a financial foundation for those who don’t earn enough on fixed incomes or at their jobs to make ends meet.

In the 1970s, a four-year basic income experiment was launched in the town of Dauphin, Manitoba. The outcomes for people in Dauphin, the ‘town with no poverty’ were profound. Years later, when she reviewed the results, Professor Evelyn Forget discovered that after receiving a basic income, residents were healthier, had become better educated and were less stressed. Basic income helped improve the well-being of the entire community.

Some Hamilton residents have already been approved for the three-year Ontario Basic Income pilot and are seeing important changes in their lives. Some are using the money to buy a new winter coat for the first time; others use the basic income to purchase healthier food. All seem more engaged in the community.

New basic income participant, Michael Hampson of Hamilton recently wrote “the Basic Income trial has given me dignity, by giving me enough money to have a life.”

Selection for Ontario’s pilot is randomized and some people will be asked to be part of a ‘comparison group’ and not receive the extra income. But if you are between the ages of 18 and 62 — on social assistance or working — and earn an income less than $34,000 as a single person or $48,000 as a couple, it may be worth your while to apply.

The province is setting up in-person enrolment sessions and I’d encourage anybody applying to ask questions about your particular financial situation. The provincial Basic Income staff is helpful and will answer questions.

An in-person enrolment session is scheduled for Feb. 7 at the Waterdown Royal Canadian Legion at 79 Hamilton St. N. You need to book an appointment ahead of time by going online at www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-basic-income-pilot or by calling 1-844-217-4516.

Tom Cooper is director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and tweets at @tomcoopster.