Congress convened for Basic Income Guarantee
From May 24 to May 27, 2018, the Congress convened for the North American Basic Income Guarantee (NABIG) in Ontario, Canada. Many well-known Canadian and American politicians and companies exchanged views on issues surrounding the concept of unconditional basic income. People like Art Eggleton, Canadian Senator, Guy Caron, member of the Canadian Parliament, health expert Dr. Evelyn Forget and the chairman of the Basic Income Canada Network (BICN) Sheila Regehr were among the experts present. At the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, under the theme: Basic Income: Bold Ideas, Practical Solutions for Discussion of the Idea of Basic Income! met. In Canada, the concept of unconditional basic income is quite present. The first pilot projects, similar to those in Finland, are already underway in the Ontario region. The decision was made as early as 2016. Hamilton (Brantford County), Thunder Bay and Lindsay are the three regions in which a total of 4,000 people participate in the pilot project. In addition, 2,000 additional people represent a type of test group that, while not receiving a monthly income, is actively involved in the research study. The first project phase for registration was completed in April 2018 - at all three locations. Participants must be between 18 and 64 years old. In addition, the annual income limit is $ 34,000 or $ 43,000 for a married couple. Income will be based on the amount of monthly salary. In addition, people with a physical restriction receive up to $ 500 a month. The pilot project will be evaluated by an external research group consisting of researchers, experts and scientists from McMaster University and St. Michael's Hospital. This pilot project was discussed at the conference as well as Andrew Yang's vision of an unconditional basic income for the United States. Yang is the Democratic presidential candidate for 2020 in the US. In his opinion, technical progress and the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) lead to ever-increasing unemployment. According to Yang, the introduction of unconditional basic income should provide basic security for all members of society. In an interview with the Merion West Journal, Yang argues that humanity is currently experiencing an unprecedented shift that "completely oversells" the US political class.