It’s basically a basic income…basically…

905 Round-Up: Is Doug Ford Good for Democracy? – The 905er Podcast

There is a disturbing trend emerging in Ontario politics from the Doug Ford government. As Doug Ford pursues his vision of paving over the greenbelt to help out his developer friends, resistance is popping up in unexpected places.  Most recently the Association of Municipalities of Ontario has made public their concerns regarding Bill 23.  Namely that they project a cost of approximately $1 Billion a year to municipalities due to loss of development fees.  As well as the untold projected costs of environmental damages due to the consequences of potentially building on flood plains or watersheds in the Greenbelt.  What is Doug Ford's response?  It turns out that AMO has been excluded from committee meetings. This isn't a unique trend.  The Ford government is moving ahead with plans to curtail the democratic authority of municipalities by allowing votes to pass with only 30% of councillors support.  With the recent use of the Notwithstanding Clause as a negotiation tactic, its clear to us that this government hates the idea of democracy.  The idea that consultation and compromise is important to ensure the democratic process is vibrant and we all have a say in how our government is run.  Instead this government continues to show that it is their way or the highway, consequences be damned. This episode of The 905er is brought to you by our sponsor: South River Brewing.  Listen to this episode to see how you can save money on your next order by visiting the link below: South River Brewing It takes money and time to create two podcasts a week. We love doing what we do, but please consider supporting us if you can so we can keep improving, and keep paying the bills. Why not buy us a coffee? Or you can support us by becoming a patron for a month, for six months, or forever. See https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Patreon listeners also get to hear our episodes without commercial interruptions. Thanks to our existing patrons! You can join them at https://www.patreon.com/the905er. Supporting the 905er with a monthly donation enables us to do this podcast, to make it better and better, and to make sure it reflects your priorities. Please consider joining our growing team. Nicholas Paul: sound editing. The Quadrafonics: fantastic opening and closing tunes!

1. 905 Round-Up: Is Doug Ford Good for Democracy? 40:35
2. Franz Hartmann Talks to The 905er About Saving the Greenbelt 37:36
3. The 905 Round-Up: Health Care Collapse and Land Grabs for the Rich 33:49
4. Sex Workers Rights in The 905 45:37
5. 905 Round-Up: Doug Ford Rolls Over for CUPE 42:11

I missed the chance to promote the latest episode of The 905er yesterday. I got busy, my bad. This week we were talking about Hamilton’s basic income experiment, the previous provincial Liberal government instituted. It’s a great discussion on what actually happens under a universal basic income to those who are on it. I highly recommend you listen to it, as it’s more than relevant these days with the federal CERB program winding down.

What do people have to say?

How Universal Basic Income Will Save the Economy – By Max Fawcett

Why Canada is now debating a basic income model – By Aaron Burnett

Has guaranteed basic income’s time arrived? Canada may find out. – By Sarah Miller Llana

Has the time finally come for UBI?

As CERB winds down the question is how do we prevent wide spread catastrophe of an anemic economy and to stop the spread of COVID-19? New programs have been implemented to begin soon. The question is what happens though once these plans end?

We are in the beginning of a second wave ripping through the Canadian economy. Our economy hasn’t fully recovered from the initial lockdown in spring. Many Canadians are unemployed or employed in precarious jobs. These jobs are focused on the retail and hospitality sectors. All of which are under heavy pressure from health professionals to be closed until the curve flattens. Whether or not the provincial government will abide by their recommendation is yet to be seen. Regardless, hearing from these industries, it is apparent that consumer confidence has yet to return to the economy as a whole.

Canadians on a whole are timid to enter into restaurants and retail spaces for the time being. Should our COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, the pressure may mount to invoke a second lockdown as a draconian last ditch measure to save lives. There is no crystal ball to use here. There is no clear cut policy decision that outlines if A happens, then you must implement B.

Instead, we need tools which are flexible enough to handle the ups and downs of an economy tied to the COVID-19 case curve. The economy will recover, new systems of commerce and business models will emerge from this pandemic. Human beings are inventive and resourceful. I have no doubt about that. However, it doesn’t mean we don’t need some help. A mechanism to help cushion the changes that we are all experience. To help cushion the economic falls due to lock down.

This seems to be our economy for the foreseeable future. At least until a vaccine has been developed and administered widely enough. Coming up with patchwork policy options for each economic downturn is wildly inefficient and doesn’t work to build up confidence in our economy. It is time to seriously take a look at instituting a permanent basic income model for Canada. It might prove to be as important in dealing with COVID-19 as wearing a mask.