Latest news with #SheilaRegehr
Business Insider
12 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Does Canada have UBI? Everything you need to know about the country's basic income programs.
As more basic income pilots and programs launch in the United States, Canada is following suit. Recently, politicians in Canada have considered how to implement no-strings-attached money initiatives, especially as many citizens lost jobs during the pandemic and the cost of living has increased. These discussions have drawn on studies and trials dating back nearly a century. As dozens of basic income programs in the United States spread, some leading policy experts have discussed whether these initiatives could be extended to a universal level. Other countries with basic income programs and experiments include Brazil, China, Germany, and India. Advocates for universal basic income — which offers recurring cash payments to all individuals in a population, regardless of their socioeconomic status — say Canada has the resources to create a program that covers every citizen. While universal income would be on a universal scale across a population, basic income programs typically target lower-income or vulnerable populations. Organizations in some provinces are testing what basic income could look like on a local level through guaranteed basic income pilots — recurring cash payments geared toward specific groups, like vulnerable populations. While many Canadian politicians across the political spectrum support basic income, some argue that these programs are costly to the local economy. Support from residents, meanwhile, varies. About 60% of Canadians support guaranteed basic income, while 37% support universal basic income, according to a poll published in 2022 by the market research firm Narrative Research. To be sure, cash payments can't replace full-time income or lift everyone out of poverty, but it can give many lower-income residents more opportunities to engage with the economy, said Sheila Regehr, a founding member and chairperson of the Basic Income Canada Network, an organization working to expand basic income access across the country. "From a fiscally conservative perspective, that little bit of investment could save a ton of money down the road and get better results for everything," Regehr told Business Insider, referring to the initial expense and potential benefits of basic income. "This idea we had several generations ago to get a good job, stay in a company for life, that doesn't happen anymore." Shortly after the pandemic began, talks about the efficacy of basic income in Canada accelerated. In 2020, 50 senators sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Finance Minister Bill Morneau commending them for their actions and calling for a minimum basic income. And in the last federal election in 2021, 189 candidates — representing 46% of Canada's electoral districts — pledged to support basic income. Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer found that between 2022 and 2023, a universal basic income would cost $87.6 billion but would cut poverty by at least 40% in nearly every province; the cost of poverty totals about $80 billion each year, the PBO estimates. "We certainly have the capacity, there is no question that we do," Regehr said. In 2021, Ontario Sen. Kim Pate introduced Bill S-233 and Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan introduced Bill C-233, creating the country's first national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income for people over the age of 17. Both bills are now under consideration in the Senate. Canada, which has an Old Age Security pension, already has a version of basic income for older residents called the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The GIS is a monthly payment distributed to low-income pensioners aged 65 and older. The maximum monthly payment is $1,087 for someone who is single, divorced, or widowed. "Getting a government check has no stigma to it here; it's just something that happens," Regehr said. Canada's experiments with basic income Basic income experiments in Canada are not new. Talk of implementing a basic income dates back to the 1930s in Alberta, though the first major experiment took place in Manitoba starting in 1974. That project, called Mincome, was studied after completion, and researchers found that participants — who received $3,800, $4,800, or $5,800 a year through 1979 — on the whole continued to work and had higher secondary school graduation rates. Researchers also found that there was an 8.5% drop in hospitalizations for participants at the program's completion. Four decades later, Ontario launched one of the biggest pilots in Canadian history, the Ontario Basic Income Pilot Project. The pilot, whose participants were mostly employed and lower-income, gave up to $16,989 annually for single participants aged 18 to 64 and $24,027 for couples. Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government canceled the pilot just 10 months after payments were first distributed. Reasons for the cancellation included high costs and indications that the program didn't help people contribute enough to the economy. Still, interviews with participants after the pilot found that basic income helped them better afford necessities than traditional welfare payments and assisted in long-term financial planning. A 2020 Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis study determined that a basic income could create 600,000 jobs and contribute $80 billion to Canada's economy in five years, potentially generating $400 billion in additional GDP during that period. Current basic income programs in Canada Various basic income and cash transfer pilots are ongoing, including in Newfoundland and Labrador for people between the ages of 60 and 64. Quebec has a basic income of $1,309 monthly for people with limited income, according to Quebec's government website. Prince Edward Island, which recently hosted a conference on basic income, started its T-BIG pilot — the Targeted Basic Income Guarantee — in 2021 for over 600 people. The program gives cash to participants to bring them within 85% of the federal poverty level. Meanwhile, a few provinces, including Saskatchewan, have debated adopting a sovereign wealth fund that pays dividends similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund. In 2021, the British Columbia Basic Income Panel created 65 recommendations for implementing targeted basic income programs for people with disabilities, young Canadians aging out of government care, and women escaping violence. However, the panel recommended overhauling certain social programs and suggested against a general basic income. "We have concluded that moving to a system around a basic income for all as its main pillar is not the most just policy option," the report reads. "The needs of people in this society are too diverse to be effectively answered simply with a cheque from the government." The province's New Leaf Experiment has seen promising results. In New Leaf's first rendition, launched in 2018, which gave $7,500 total upfront to 50 people experiencing homelessness with a control group of 65 people, participants did not increase spending on goods like drugs or alcohol and spent 99 fewer days unhoused, according to a research note on the pilot's outcomes. The pilot also helped participants with financial literacy and getting them proper IDs and paperwork. Results are forthcoming for another iteration, which started in 2022. "The findings are that they work more hours, they get paid more per hour, and a lot of the individuals we're working with are accessing training," said Amber Dyce, CEO of Foundations For Social Change, a charitable organization that runs the New Leaf pilot. "By getting the cash transfer, they have more breathing room. They're trying to empower themselves to become more financially stable through employment."
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dillons offers 5% off discount at Kansas stores on Wednesday
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A national grocery store chain has announced that older adults can shop at a slight discount later this week for one day only. Sheila Regehr with Dillons Stores said in a press release that shoppers who are 55 and older will get to enjoy a 5% discount on their in-store purchases on Wednesday, May 7. Customers who fall into the age range are encouraged to ask their cashiers to apply the discount when checking out. 'At Dillons, we are committed to providing fresh, affordable food and are always looking for ways to help our customers to stretch their budgets,' Regehr said. 'Whether it's added points on Fridays, savings with a digital coupon, or scoring a great markdown price, everyone loves a great deal. That's why we're excited to extend this one-day Senior Day discount once again on Wednesday, May 7.' Topeka optometrist to retire after 37 years, office set to close Dillons offers the one-day discount for older adults annually to help them save on everything from produce to household essentials. Some rules do apply for this special offer with the discount not applying to the following items: Fuel. Money orders. Taxes. Alcohol. Tobacco products. Postage stamps. Gift cards/certificates. Lottery. Promotional tickets. CRV. Prescriptions. Guest or customer service/fees. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
