The province has named the locations that will take part in a basic income pilot project.

(Hamilton Spectator / Scott Gardner)

Speaking in Hamilton, one of the communities that’ll take part, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the pilot project will last three years, starting with those making ”just under $17,000 a year, but even that amount may make a real difference to someone who is striving to reach for a better life.”

She says Hamilton, Lindsay and Thunder Bay were chosen ”intentionally because they are the right size and they have the right mix of population.”

The pilot project will cost $50-million-a-year and 4,000 households will participate, including 1,000 residents from the Hamilton, Brantford and Brant regions.

They will be randomly selected from each region and invited to apply.

”The project will explore the effectiveness of providing a basic income to people who are currently living on low incomes, whether they are working or not.  People participating in our pilot communities will receive a minimum amount of income each year – a basic income, no matter what.”

The pilot projects will start in late spring in Hamilton, including Brantford and Brant County and in Thunder Bay and surrounding area.

The third pilot will start in Lindsay by this fall.