The government in Canada have announced a new scheme that will offer citizens unconditional free cash, regardless of their work status. The trial will initially be conducted in Ontario, and is intended to mirror similar schemes in Finland and the Netherlands in which the government give citizens a regular monthly allowance. The “basic income” scheme is intended to help people cover living expenses such as food, transportation, clothing, and utilities regardless of their background or job status. Techinsider.io reports: It’s a radical idea, and one that has been around since the 1960s. It’s called “basic income.” In the decades since it was first proposed, various researchers and government officials have given basic income experiments a try, to mixed results. Folks at the Basic Income Canada Network, the national organization promoting basic income, have high hopes. “We need it rolled out across Canada, and Quebec, too, is in the game,” said chair of BICN, Sheila Regehr, in a statement. “So there’s no reason why people and governments in other parts of this country need sit on the sidelines – it’s time for us all to get to work.” Ontario officials haven’t decided when or where exactly it’ll roll out the program, nor how [...]