I can't wait to see how this turns out, and what the results are going to be.

This idea has been around since the 1930s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income_in_Canada and was actually tested in Manitoba in the 1970s but the plan was never completely implemented https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mincome.

I have heard that the federal Conservative Party under Joe Clark had studied the idea and determined it was feasible but the party did not include it in its election platform because they didn't believe Conservative Party members would approve of the idea. (I have no link for this.)

It is gaining appeal again because of the threatened impact on jobs by technological innovations that will render large numbers of jobs obsolete.

the lives of the participants. When i studied negative income tax in college they talked about the magnitude of change it would make to lives. Now that part is real. Yes the idea has been tossed around by politicians. But now the science is real. That is exciting to me.

If the projected technology related job losses do materialize, any jurisdiction that doesn't have some guaranteed annual income program in place when they hit is going to be in a world of trouble.

The data from the Winnipeg and Dauphin trials have been sitting around for 40 years without there ever having been a comprehensive analysis. So far as I know it is all still available to anyone who wants to use it.

The study in Ontario is not the only one underway. As I recollect, there is at least one study already underway in one of the Scandinavian countries - Norway I believe.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the trial planned for Ontario will actually happen. There is a provincial election in Ontario in June and whoever is the government after it may determine if the study actually goes ahead. The Manitoba study came to an inglorious end because the governments participating in the study changed hands during it.

Good judgement would continue the study regardless of the governments involved. Unfortunately, good judgement in Ontario politics has been known to take extended vacations (see Harris, Mike). Kathleen Wynne's personal poll numbers have tanked and some polls have shown the Liberal Party isn't faring a great deal better. In fact, none of the recent polls I have seen show the Liberals ahead.

Please don't misconstrue my position. I'm a former sociology professor and I consider this to be a vital study that absolutely should be completed because it is necessary for future planning. I'm just restraining my enthusiasm until I actually see some results.