07/12/2026
What is EGIA, and why do we need it?
EGIA stands for "Emergent Guaranteed Income Assistance" designed by former recipient of OBIP (Ontario Basic income Pilot) and page co-founder, Joshua Hewitt.
It is not simply universal basic income, and it is not another new program added on top of everything else.
It is a proposal to bring many of the income-support systems Canada already has into one better, more adaptable national structure.
Right now, people can be forced to deal with different programs, different offices, different applications, different workers and different rules depending on whether they are unemployed, disabled, caring for children, returning to school, working part time or facing an emergency.
People can lose support because they missed paperwork, accepted temporary work, earned slightly too much in one month or had their circumstances change faster than the system could respond.
EGIA would be designed to stop that from happening.
A person would apply through one main system and have one account showing their income, benefits, documents, decisions and available supports.
People would still have to report their earnings, but EGIA would not judge them only by their gross income. Gross income is not what a person actually has available to live on, and it is foolish to plan economy in such a fashion without considerations of proper income supports and rental controls.
Taxes, CPP, EI, transportation, childcare, medical costs, work expenses and other unavoidable deductions can take a large part of someone’s pay before they even buy food or pay rent.
EGIA would use an "Adjusted Disposable Income", meaning the income a person actually has available after recognized deductions and necessary expenses.
The benefit would then adjust gradually as their disposable income changed. Someone starting a part-time job, accepting temporary hours or beginning an apprenticeship would not suddenly lose everything. They could continue receiving partial support while their income improved.
As they became more financially stable, the assistance would slowly reduce instead of disappearing all at once.
If their hours were cut, they became sick or they lost their job, the benefit could increase again without forcing them to start an entirely new application.
That is part of what “Emergent” means.
It means the assistance changes as a person’s circumstances change.
It also means benefits are indexed to inflation and economic conditions, so they are not left frozen for years while rent, food, fuel and utilities increase. It also means the system itself can evolve as Canada changes.
New types of employment, automation, artificial intelligence, natural disasters, recessions, public-health emergencies, trade disruptions and regional economic problems should not require government to build another disconnected temporary program every time something goes wrong.
EGIA would already be designed to respond.
We need it because the current system is outdated and too rigid. Ontario Works has barely changed while the cost of living has increased dramatically. At the same time, many working people are also struggling.
A person can have a job and still be unable to afford rent, transportation, food, childcare and basic bills.
Someone making around minimum wage or starting in a trade may appear to have a reasonable gross income on paper while having almost nothing left after deductions and expenses.
The current divide between “working” and “on assistance” no longer reflects reality.
Many people move between full-time work, part-time work, temporary contracts, layoffs, retraining, caregiving and periods of disability. Our income-support system should be able to move with them.
EGIA would not solve every problem.
It would not replace the need for affordable housing, better wages, healthcare, education, childcare or employment.
What it would do is create a dependable floor underneath people while they deal with those problems.
It would make it easier to work without being punished, easier to recover after losing income and harder for people to fall through administrative cracks.
The main funding would come from combining and improving existing government programs and revenue streams rather than building another separate bureaucracy.
Canada already has decades of experience with welfare, disability support, Employment Insurance, child benefits, tax credits and basic-income pilots.
EGIA is the next evolution of that experience.
It is not about giving everyone the same cheque.
It is about making sure assistance reflects what people actually have to live on and changes when their lives change.
Photo Cred. Former OBIP recipient, Jesse Golemn.
