Justice Bale of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently
dismissed a motion to certify an action as a class proceeding for
plaintiffs who claimed to have suffered damages as a result of the
early termination of Ontario's basic income pilot
project.
In Bowman v Ontario, Bale, J found that
the statement of claim did not disclose a reasonable cause of
action, despite multiple causes pled by the plaintiff group.
Background and legislation
In 2017, the Government of Ontario announced a three-year basic
income program. Eligible participants would receive a minimum
income each year, provided they complied with the conditions of the
social benefit program.
After the June 2018 provincial election, in July the new
Progressive Conservative government announced the basic income
pilot would end early, and subsequently announced that the final
payment date would be in March 2019.