Halifax council considering push for federal universal basic income

Halifax Regional Council will be discussing the idea of a federal guaranteed livable basic income at its Tuesday meeting.

Halifax Regional Council will be discussing the idea of a federal guaranteed livable basic income at its Tuesday meeting.

Coun. Waye Mason, who represents Halifax South Downtown, put forward the motion that asks council to request a letter from the mayor to the prime minister, ministers and premier of Nova Scotia.

The letter would call on the government to implement a basic income, “ensuring everyone has sufficient income to meet their needs, which would go a long way towards eradicating poverty and homelessness, alleviating the pressure on municipalities to use their limited resources to fill gaps in our failing social safety net.”

Mason’s motion points out that the impacts of poverty have had an effect on municipalities, which have limited resources to deliver social supports.

“Basic income addresses key social determinants of health, such as income and housing, it can alleviate pressures on municipalities to address poverty and fill gaps in social supports, such as shelter, housing, food security and mental health,” the motion reads.

The motion says evidence shows that a federally-funded basic income can improve financial stability and quotes Coalition Canada Basic Income, an alliance of income advocacy groups.

The coalition has previously made a submission to a House of Commons committee on COVID-19 recovery, recommending that the federal government create a national basic income guarantee for adults that is comparable to the $2,000 per month people received from the Canadian Economic Recovery Benefit (CERB) program.

A report released earlier this month by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC), a Halifax-based economic think tank, said income support would reduce inequality, establish a sense of financial security and encourage savings.