Civic hacknight #249 VIRTUAL: Universal Basic Income (UBI)

+Topic:

"This crisis has shown that our economy is broken. 3 in 10 Canadians don't have savings beyond 1 week; 8 in 10 don't have savings beyond 3 months. 4 in 10 recent layoffs may be permanent, as businesses race to cut costs and replace humans with technology. Economic recovery could take years - JPMorgan Chase says possibly more than a decade - and many jobs in the middle-class will disappear in a jobless recovery, just like the last 3 recessions. Meanwhile, Amazon's stock price hit an all-time high in April 2020 and Sobey's parent company raises quarterly dividends for investors after cutting employee hazard pay.

All recessions accelerate trends. This time, it's the automation of jobs and the erosion of the middle class.

The way to address this and put us on a path to recovery is with a Universal Basic Income, a dividend that recognizes each of us as an owner in the economy, allowing us to share in the vast wealth that is created by technology. UBI has been proven to stimulate the economy, create jobs and businesses, and make people healthier. This is an historic opportunity for our leaders to recognize this urgency and make the right decisions that will build a stronger and more resilient Canada."
-Ken Yang, UBI Works

Bio:

Ken serves on the management team of UBI Works, a Canadian organization with a mission of making Universal Basic Income a core federal election issue. Ken previously worked at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, in social cognition research at the University of Toronto, and managed the commercialization of early-stage technology with Prof. Steve Mann of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UofT. Ken is a classically trained pianist who has performed as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and his recordings have been broadcast on Classical 96.3 FM and CBC Radio One. Ken holds a JD/MBA from UofT.

https://twitter.com/ubi_works
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenyang-jdmba/
https://www.instagram.com/kenjaminyang/

• Social Media Cheat Codes:

@CivicTechTO #civictech
https://link.civictech.ca/tweet

• Venue Sponsor:

Join us this week from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you are practicing social isolation, for a virtual civic tech hacknight!

• Check-in details:

Join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85847811289?pwd=THhwOEQvTlh5R3QvbWxha25xTWdGUT09
Webcams and mics optional, but encouraged!

Join via your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/wc/join/85847811289?pwd=THhwOEQvTlh5R3QvbWxha25xTWdGUT09

Dial-in by phone in Canada:
+1 647 558 0588
Meeting ID: 858 4781 1289
Password: 008446

Check in with us on the Civic Tech Toronto Slack: https://link.civictech.ca/chat

• Accessibility:

We're exploring ways to make our online hacknights more accessible, but at the moment we only provide video of the presentation slides and audio.

• About Us:

Our weekly civic tech hacknights bring together designers, coders, urban planners, government staff, mappers, policy-makers, students, communications strategists, and all other Torontonians who share an interest in making Toronto more responsive, prosperous, sustainable and equitable, through design, tech, and data. (Coders are welcome, but you don’t have to be a coder to contribute!) Come and be part of it!

• Agenda:

7:00-7:10 = Welcome and Introductions
7:10-7:45 = Presentation and Q&A/discussion
7:45-9:00 = Breakout groups (go make something!)
> 9:00 = Civic Tech Toronto Virtual Hang Out

For more info, visit http://civictech.ca
Here's our Code of Conduct: http://civictech.ca/about-us

Hope to see you Tuesday!