--- title: "Given Basic Income, People Kept Working and Got Healthier" description: "In 2017, the government of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, kicked off a three-year basic income pilot project, handing out enough money to cover basic needs to some 4,000 people. And according to a new report, compiled by researchers who worked on the project, it was a huge success — yet the entire $150-million program […]" date: "2020-03-09" modified: "2020-03-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/basic-income-working-got-healthier" categories: - "Finance" - "Future Society" - "Universal Basic Income" tags: - "basic income" - "the digest" - "universal basic income" --- # Given Basic Income, People Kept Working and Got Healthier ![According to a new report, a Canadian basic income pilot project from 2017 was a huge success, with people living healthier, more productive lives.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Fitter, Happier In 2017, the government of Ontario, Canada's most populous province, kicked off a three-year [basic income]() pilot project. Basically, it handed out enough money to cover basic needs to some 4,000 people — and the data suggests that the program was an enormous success. "They continued working," McMaster University economics professor Wayne Lewchuk, who was part of the research, [told the *CBC*](). "Many of those who continued working were actually able to move to better jobs, jobs that had a higher hourly wage, that had in general better working conditions, that they felt were more secure." ## More Productive And according to a [new report]() by researchers who worked on the project, participants became happier and healthier. The project, they wrote, had a "noticeable impact on the use of health services," with many participants seeing fewer doctors and going to the emergency room less frequently. More than 50 percent claimed to use less tobacco, while 48 percent said they were drinking less alcohol. "Knowing I had a purpose, and being able to make a plan, because the extra financial resources allowed me to do that, does something profound to your mental health," an anonymous 37-year-old woman said, as quoted by the report. ## Sleeping Well, No Bad Dreams But then the government scrapped the entire $150-million program. "A research project that included only 4,000 individuals was not an adequate solution for a province where almost two million people are living in poverty," a government spokeperson told the *CBC*. "We are focused on solutions for Ontario that are practical and sustainable." **READ MORE:** [People kept working, became healthier while on basic income: report]() \[*CBC*\] **More on basic income:** *[This Company Is Paying People $1,830 to Film Them Constantly]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()