"The Basic Income pilot was as dead as a doornail."

The opening line from a modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens' classic holiday novella "A Christmas Carol"?

Many of us know the story: A grumpy, stingy figure named Scrooge visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. They show him his past, present and the future. By witnessing the way he's treated others, Scrooge realizes he's been selfish and mean-spirited. He promises to amend his ways by showing generosity and love to his fellow man.

Basic Income participants in Ontario are hoping for a holiday miracle, too, but will our governments help?

The Ontario Basic Income pilot was a critical social policy experiment. Four thousand participants in Hamilton, Brantford, Thunder Bay and Lindsay were taking the first steps toward moving out of poverty: eating healthier food, stabilizing their housing and dreaming of the future.

These courageous pioneers took a leap of faith by trusting that the government would honour its commitment to keep the pilot running for three years.

Last December, 29 year-old participant Alana bought her first brand-new winter coat with her basic income. In previous years she hoped for hand-me-down winter gear to keep her warm. Another participant, Tim, visited his family in Timmins for the first time since a workplace injury nearly 20 years ago. He emailed last Christmas Day to let me know he was shovelling snow for his sister in minus 20 degrees ... and it felt great.

Some participants made plans to go back to school; others re-engaged in their community after years of isolation. Many of the participants already had jobs but weren't earning enough to pull themselves out of working poverty.

By providing some additional money, without the excessive oversight of a cumbersome social assistance system, the government was seeing if Basic Income was a more dignified and cost-effective way to provide income security in a rapidly changing economy.

Then the newly elected Ford government broke an election promise and announced the cancellation of the pilot for March.

The decision shattered dreams and threw the lives of participants into crisis. Many participants have mental health challenges and have been particularly anxious about their futures: Can they afford to keep their housing? Will they have enough to eat?

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" old Scrooge might have responded.

As much as I'd like to see it, I'm not convinced that three ghosts will visit Premier Ford this Christmas Eve.

But time is running out. Realistically, there's only one entity that can save the project now.

It's time for the government of Canada to step up and rescue the Ontario Basic Income pilot.

In August, Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger led an effort among the pilot city mayors to appeal to federal Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The four mayors asked the federal government to fund the last two years of the project.

We've seen international researchers, medical professionals, chambers of commerce, 100 Canadian business leaders, food banks, 30,000 signatories to an online petition, as well as the participants themselves all urging the federal government to step in and rescue Basic Income.

Federal cabinet ministers listened politely, agreed that the provincial government's cancellation of the program is an injustice, but - so far - have refused to commit to saving the research project.

Federal Labour Minister Patty Hadju, who represents Thunder Bay, one of the pilot communities, recently noted, "The challenge is that what we're talking about is a form of social assistance that is provincial and is in the jurisdiction of the province."

Sounds like a reasonable excuse for inaction. Problem is, it's not accurate.

The basic income experiment was never a social assistance program. In order to enrol in the pilot, participants who were on social assistance needed to leave those programs.

The jurisdictional argument doesn't fly, either. The feds run many income security initiatives. The Guaranteed Income Supplement provides additional financial support for seniors over the age of 65 who experience poverty. There's also the Canada Child Benefit which aids low-income families with children. Each program is income-tested but have very few other 'strings' attached - just like a basic income.

There's historical precedent for federal involvement, too. Back in the 1970s, the first basic income experiment was launched in Manitoba, called Mincome, funded by the government of Manitoba in collaboration with the federal government of Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Although those results weren't reviewed until health economist Evelyn Forget dug up 1,800 boxes of data 20 years later, Mincome showed outstanding results such as reduced poverty, better health, more stable housing and improved educational outcomes. Those are similar results to what we are observing here in Ontario.

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Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has a unique opportunity to demonstrate bold leadership by continuing the pilot. Let's ensure the Christmas Futures of Basic Income participants are filled with opportunities.