The City of Quinte West has given their support for Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income.
This comes after a delegation from Quinte Labour Council’s Margaret Bourgoin, who asked council to create the motion supporting the idea.
“A basic income is a direct payment from government to ensure that everyone has sufficient income to meet basic needs, participate in society and live with dignity regardless of work status,” Bourgoin told council.
“Basic income is needed for several reasons. Minimum wage falls below a living wage, increase in food insecurities, precarious jobs are increasing. There’s poor health, physical and mental health, unaffordable housing and homelessness are also increasing.”
Bourgoin says GLBI is different from social assistance in that basic income can be given to anyone who meets the income eligibility criteria and who may be working but earning below the basic income level.
Quinte Labour Council’s Margaret Bourgoin speaking to council asking them to support Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income. November 29, 2023. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
Councillor Zack Card expressed his support for the idea, saying he would introduce the motion and vote in support of it.
“It’s a very interesting and attractive idea because it would replace basically the patchwork of social safety net,” Card said.
“There’s actually a lot of left of centre and right of centre economists who really support the approach because of how efficient and how much administrative overhead and how much redundancy could be taken out. Just a flat payment was given to everyone, of course wealthier pay it back in taxes at tax time, but it’s a great policy that I was glad to see brought forward.”
Councillor Don Kuntze said he would not support the motion, saying he did not feel it was the municipality’s business to vote on something related to the provincial or federal governments.
“Whether this is the right way to go, I can’t answer that question either. I just feel that this has really nothing to do with how the City of Quinte West does business,” Kuntze says.
“If the federal government and the provincial government want to take this ball and run with it, then leave it up to them.”
Ultimately the motion was carried.
Quinte West joins the City of Belleville and Prince Edward County in expressing their support for Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income.
The City of Belleville voted in favour on October 10 while Prince Edward County voted in favour on November 14.
