News stories tagged with "recession"

(11/30/11) This week, we're looking at the very different way that Canada has experienced the Great Recession, when compared to the North Country. In partnership with WBEZ public radio in Chicago, Brian Mann has been traveling this week in Ontario, comparing the situation in the US with life on the ground in Canada.

One of the biggest differences he's been finding is in government. This week, the New York Times reported that deep cuts have hit the public sector here in the US. But those same deep government cuts haven't occurred (at least not yet) north of the border.

Brian talked about the role government jobs have played in Canada, contrasted with the downsizing that has swept the US.

(11/28/11) This week we'll be looking in-depth at the very different ways that the recession has hit Canada. Over the last three years, communities and workers north of the border have fared much better than their counterparts here in the North Country.

Unemployment on the Canadian side of the lakes is far lower -- around 8% in Ontario and 7.7% in Quebec. In fact, through the Great Recession, Ontario and Quebec have actually grown jobs. And workers in those provinces who lose their positions can expect to be out of work for only half as long before they find a new job, when compared with workers in the US.

In a partnership with WBEZ public radio in Chicago, Brian Mann is traveling in Canada, talking with experts and workers. He spoke with Martha Foley.

(07/21/10) Millions of Americans whose unemployment benefits have run out are breathing a sigh of relief. The Senate is poised to pass legislation today restoring the benefits. The measure would then go to the House for a final vote. It is expected to pass then go on to President Barack Obama later this week.

A continuing fear of social services folks is what happens when unemployment benefits do run out. The jobless rate still hovers around 10%, and that doesn't include people who have stopped looking for a job out of frustration. Last December, the staff at One Stop Career Center in Canton predicted "a tsunami of job seekers" this year. It turns out they were right. In our ongoing series Story 2.0, we'll revisit the One Stop Career Center. But first, here's an excerpt from David Sommerstein's story from last winter. more

(07/15/10) The budget crunch in Albany means a bleak financial future for many of the North Country's counties. St. Lawrence County is fighting to close an $11 to 14 million deficit next year. That's 5% of the county's overall budget. County Administrator Karen St. Hillaire has proposed a package of $4 million in cuts. It would avoid most layoffs, but it would still force a 5% property tax increase. If the fiscal picture gets worse, the county may have to cut 30 to 50 jobs. St. Hillaire says most of the deficit comes from the state and federal governments contributing millions less to mandated programs, like Medicaid and the pension fund. She told David Sommerstein the struggling economy makes matters worse.

(05/04/10) North Country Public Radio kicked off its "Year of Hard Choices" look at the impact of the Great Recession last year with a conversation with economist Greg Gardener.

Gardner has been a student of the North Country economy since coming to the region over 15 years ago. He teaches at SUNY Potsdam. He and his wife live outside Watertown.

He says the year looked about like he had thought it would...unemployment is up, there's been pressure on the private sector, but the region had an OK tourism year..."we got leaned on hard," he said, but it wasn't catastrophic.

But Gardner told Martha Foley there was a troubling erosion of what's traditionally been the region's buffer against hard times. Public sector jobs: from prisons to schools to local government. They're threatened, and hurts the North Country.

(01/18/10) Northern New York's real estate market is showing signs of life, according to Mark Bergman. He's a realtor in North Creek. And he's part of our occasional series, A Year of Hard Choices. Below, you can find a link to these stories of the recession and how the sagging economy is affecting people across the North Country.

Bergman says he won't soon forget last year--and the economic lessons it taught him. Last spring, Mark spoke with Jonathan Brown about the dearth of real estate sales in the southern Adirondacks. more

(01/18/10) When the banks failed and the recession hit last fall, lots of people predicted that the burgeoning green economy would get nipped in the bud. But that's not what happened. Julie Grant spoke with some business experts about the status of green companies. more

(12/30/09) St. Lawrence County crafted an austere budget this year, one that would have been worse if not for $3 million in stimulus funding to help pay for Medicaid.

County legislators met with state lawmakers yesterday to assess the state's financial situation and its impact on the region's counties. There were few answers, and the meeting became a bleak lament of Albany gridlock. Martha Foley has more.

(12/10/09) As the unemployment rate in much of the North Country remains just under 10%, more families are struggling to put food on the table. Thousands of people live with food insecurity - that means at some point, they don't know where their next meal will come from. Demand at the region's food pantries and kitchens is up. But the Food Bank of Central NY says it's been planning for this kind of crisis for years, and it's still ready and able to fill the demand. Todd Moe and David Sommerstein revisit a story from 2008.

(09/14/09) Each Monday this month, we're featuring new features from our Common Wealth, Common Wisdom project. North Country teens paired with senior citizens to explore the concept of entrepreneurship during the Great Depression, and today's Great Recession. When Chelsea Ross went across the street to interview her 90-year-old neighbor, Bill Cullen, she expected to hear some stories about working hard as a kid in the Great Depression era. She expected to get a 'how to' guide for surviving today's recession. What she got instead was different. What she got was a weird mirror on her life from 70 years before.