THREAD: I’m in Lindsay, Ontario. The town that eliminated poverty. Briefly. It was a saturation site for the #BasicIncome pilot, meaning almost everyone eligible (2000 ppl) were on BI. The stories of the results are extraordinary. The story of the cancellation devastating
Tracey was previously on disability but when on BI she used the money to start her own natural soaps business, paid for her husbands back operation, visited family, bought a swimming pass, bought vitamin supplements and could buy healthy foods. Her health was transformed!
Dana was using BI to visit her daughter more, she could finally buy her grandchildren Christmas presents, she was eating healthier, she was socialising more with friends and said the whole town of Lindsay felt like it had weight lifted off its shoulders cbc.ca/news/business/…
But the incoming Conservative Premier Doug Ford cancelled the pilot half-way through last year, tipping 4000 lives into chaos. Tracey’s had to shut her business and is now in debt. Dana is back in poverty. But both are fighting back and have filed lawsuit. cbc.ca/news/canada/ha…
The initial results of the pilot have been captured by @JoliScheidBenns & @basicincomecdn. 88% of participants improved mental health, hospital visits were down, food security was improved, 34% enrolled in education courses. See the results for yourself! assets.nationbuilder.com/bicn/pages/42/…
Luis and his wife Leanna’s business, Fresh Fuell, was transformed by being on #BasicIncome. They had the freedom to take risks and invest in and grow their business and began to see new customers on BI coming into the shop!
So for roughly a year, a town had all but eliminated poverty. Think about that for a second. We can debate the theory all we like but the evidence is there. Just ask Dana, Tracey or Luis in Lindsay. Ask Jodi, Alanna, Laura, Jessie or Lance in Hamilton. It’s time for #BasicIncome
Huge thanks to @MikePerry2015 for connecting me to the wonderful people of Lindsay. He led the lawsuit against the government and is a tireless community champion. Looking forward to catching up in London Mike!
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.