The big difference between the current welfare payments and a basic income…would be that basic income would be paid automatically, rather than requiring a whole bunch of paperwork and constant monitoring to prove eligibility

André Picard — The way we deal with adults living in poverty is a mess. Whether you believe in a handout or a hand-up approach, what those in need tend to get these days is the back of the hand. The social-welfare system is parsimonious, judgmental, demeaning, complex and bureaucratic. Worst of all, it tends to perpetuate, rather than alleviate, poverty. So is there a better way? That is the basic question that Ontario hopes to answer with its much-anticipated pilot project, testing a “basic income” approach.  Read the rest of this article at The Globe and Mail…