Everything you need to know about P.E.I.'s targeted basic income program

As the cost of living continues to climb in households right across Prince Edward Island, there have been renewed calls for governments to implement basic income guarantee programs. 

Earlier this year, Social Development and Seniors Minister Barb Ramsay said her government is still committed to implementing a basic income and is working to bring in a program within the next four years — something the province will need federal support to accomplish. 

But in the meantime, P.E.I. has been quietly operating its own targeted basic income pilot program.

Here's what you need to know.

The Targeted Basic Income Guarantee, or T-BIG program, started back in 2021 after the province expanded its secure income pilot project. 

T-BIG is available to people who are clients of social assistance and AccessAbility supports, as long as they meet certain criteria. 

Shelley Cole, director of social programs for the province, said the program specifically targets people who have multiple barriers to employment, which includes people with disabilities and youth aging out of care. 

"The focus is really on people who have severe limitations to being connected to employment and therefore being able to be financially independent," Cole said. 

Participants also have to be between the age of 18 and 60, able to live independently, at a certain level of income, and a client of social assistance programs for five of the last six years.  

As of this September, Cole said 635 participants were receiving payments from the program. 

Since participants are already social assistance clients, there's no application process. Instead, people are selected by the department for the program, Cole said. 

"Effectively what T-BIG does is top up existing benefits to bring people within 85 per cent of the market-basket measure," Cole said. 

The market-basket measure, otherwise known as Canada's official poverty line, is set annually by Statistics Canada. It takes into account the cost of a "basket" of food, clothing, shelter, transportation and other necessities in each province.  

Cole said a single person receiving social assistance or assured income on P.E.I. would receive financial support for food, clothing and shelter as well as a communication allowance.