Report proposing a PEI island-wide basic income demonstration project is made public

The report calls for the government of PEI to begin immediate negotiations with the federal government for the development and implementation of a basic income guarantee demonstration program. The report presents a basic income model for a fully-funded 5-7-year demonstration program in PEI, which would considerably reduce poverty for Islanders while being more cost-effective than previously presented models. Championed by public servants, politicians, and advocates from PEI and across the country, this report is the outcome of more than 2 years of collaboration and will help guide crucial conversations on poverty reduction and income assistance in PEI and across the country.

“This report establishes beyond doubt that a province-wide guaranteed basic income in PEI is feasible and realistic,” says Jane Ledwell, member of the PEI Working Group for a Livable Income, who endorse the report. Ledwell notes that “with this proposed model for basic income, low-income Islanders who constantly fall through the cracks of social welfare systems would gain an income floor and the security to live in good health and dignity.”