Ellen Spannagel (she/her)
Originally from Treaty 7 territory and currently living on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe land (Ottawa), Ellen Spannagel is a lawyer by training who became interested in basic income activism through her engagement with public interest work and human rights advocacy. Ellen is passionate about research and advocacy that creatively uses law as a tool to meaningfully account for social inequities. She has previously worked and interned for organizations such Human Rights Watch, Forum for Human Rights, and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law on topics including climate justice, disability justice, queer rights, and the rights of aging communities. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Humanities from Carleton University. As a queer person, Ellen is passionate about the potential for basic income to provide queer youth with more support to leave unsafe or non-affirming living situations.
Chloe Halpenny (she/her)
Based on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe land (Ottawa), Chloe Halpenny (she/her) entered the basic income world through her Master’s research, where she spoke with participants in the Ontario Basic Income Pilot as part of a critical feminist analysis. For her, basic income’s transformative potential lies in its capacity to address material deprivation, challenge productivism, and cultivate a culture of interdependence and care. Chloe is a PhD candidate, Vanier Scholar, and instructor at Queen’s University, Research Associate at the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, and member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.