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During Ontario’s spring election, Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford said he would not cancel the province’s leading edge, basic income pilot project. It is, indeed, one of the most important and comprehensive examinations of the concept in the world.

But not long after winning a majority government, Premier Ford announced he will wrap up the social service experiment in March – a year earlier than needed to produce reliable findings about funding, system savings, and social and health gains.

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The project involves 4,000 low-income participants in Hamilton-Brantford, Thunder Bay and Lindsay. They receive steady incomes of $16,989 for singles and up to $24,027 for couples. They can go back to school or add to their basic income by working or starting their own business.

A group of 40 researchers has been examining how this three-year scheme is affecting participants’ lives along with the costs and benefits.