The provincial government is moving ahead with plans to test out a basic minimum income.

Also known as a guarantee annual income, a basic income is a project in which the government issues regular payments to families or individuals.

It typically replaces employment insurance and similar welfare programs. Proponents of the idea claim it improves employment rates and the health of recipients.

The province plans to test a basic income as a pilot project before potentially rolling it out on a larger scale.

Hugh Segal, a former federal senator, has been appointed as a pro bono special advisor to the project.

He has been tasked with determining potential criteria around where the pilot project would be undertaken, and how its results could be evaluated.