Latest news with #affordabilitycrisis
New York Times
a day ago
- General
- New York Times
As Cost-Burdened New Yorkers Give Up Pets, Shelters Turn Them Away
The affordability crisis in New York City has expanded its reach to a new and perhaps surprising corner of urban life: city animal shelters that are overwhelmed with pets whose owners could no longer afford to keep them. Now, most people who bring in cats, dogs and other pets will be turned away, though the shelters will continue accepting animals that pose a threat to the public, need emergency medical care or are sent there by government agencies, the shelters said. The tipping point came last week when Rocky, an older dog, was surrendered to Animal Care Centers of New York City, which runs the public animal shelters in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, said Katy Hansen, the organization's director of communications. He became the 1,000th animal in the system. 'It's nonstop and no one can keep up,' Ms. Hansen said in an interview on Sunday at the Queens facility, where animals were doubled up in some kennels and crates and the air was thick with the smell of urine and excrement. The sheer number of animals surrendered to the organization had left its employees unsure of what to do. ' We can't adopt our way out,' she said, as the earsplitting sound of barking seemed to echo off the walls. 'I mean, unless we did a thousand adoptions this weekend, but that's pretty unrealistic. So what is it that we can do? I don't know. I think everyone's trying to figure it out.' Overcrowding at New York City's animal shelters has been a long-term problem. Last summer, the city opened the Queens shelter at a cost of $75 million, but it was quickly overburdened with new arrivals that far outpaced its 72-dog-bed capacity. On Sunday, it was housing 169 dogs. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Bonaventure professor announces congressional run for NY23 in 2026 election
OLEAN, N.Y. (WETM) — Another democratic candidate has announced his campaign to run against incumbent Congressman Nick Langworthy for New York's 23rd Congressional District. Aaron Gies, of Olean, a current assistant professor of Theology and Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure, and leader of a non-profit organization, announced his bid for Congress on Tuesday, July 15. Gies intends to challenge Nick Langworthy, emphasizing the need to elect leaders who listen to and lift up those they serve, according to his announcement. Candidate for New York's 23rd Congressional District makes stop at Harris Hill 'We're in an affordability crisis in New York State,' Gies said, 'The American Dream is out of reach for most people. A government that favors those at the top isn't just wrong because it's unfair, it's wrong because it doesn't work,' he said. 'This crisis can only be solved by all of us together. Rural folks know how to take care of themselves. They need their government to support them, not sell them out to elite interests,' Gies said in his announcement. Gies made claims in his announcement that Congressman Langworthy refuses to meet with his constituents, tariffs and high prices are ruining small businesses, while Langworthy rubber-stamps everything the Trump administration does, regardless of the issue. Gies pointed out that these are some of the key issues why he is running for Congress. Born in rural North Carolina, Gies now lives in Alleghany County and understands small-town life. He spends time as a bookkeeper and helps run a non-profit vegetable farm. Gies now joins Kevin Stocker in the democratic race running against Langworthy. 18 News reached out to Congressman Langworthy's office for a statement on Wednesday. Langworthy said he will not comment on any campaign matters at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
12-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Advocates call for more transparency in home insurance rates amid rise in extreme weather
Social Sharing As home insurance costs rise sharply amid increasing extreme weather events, one advocacy group is calling for more transparency from Ontario's financial services regulator into the increasing rates. Investors for Paris Compliance says the rising frequency of floods and wildfires due to climate change is pushing rates toward unaffordable levels, and the province's home insurance sector needs to be investigated. "There's been open-ended rate hikes, while at the same time there's been shrinking coverage due to the escalating costs of climate change," said Kiera Taylor, senior policy analyst at Investors for Paris Compliance. "There's a lot of ripple effects, which really contribute to an affordability crisis and just more general instability in our financial system," she said. Data shows, in 2024, insured losses from severe weather across the country exceeded $9 billion, said Brett Weltman, spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). That figure is nearly three times higher than insured losses recorded in 2023, and more than 12 times the annual average of losses between 2001 and 2010, he said. "Year over year, severe weather losses are rising at an alarming, exponential rate," he said in an email to CBC Toronto. Investors for Paris Compliance has made a submission to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) — an agency of the government of Ontario that protects the rights of consumers — asking for more transparency, including considering public disclosure of rate changes as is done with auto insurance. The advocacy group is also asking the FSRA to make climate risk data public, such as flood maps, which insurers use to price risk. Currently, consumers only have access to public flood risk mapping which is often out of date, Taylor said. Home insurance rates not under FSRA's authority The FSRA said in a statement its authority under Ontario's Insurance Act includes licensing insurance agents, setting conduct standards and approving auto insurance rates — but not home insurance rates, as home insurance is not mandatory in Ontario. But Taylor said the FSRA can require insurers to publicly disclose rate changes, even if it doesn't have the authority to regulate or cap them. Epic rains, flooding raise concern about Toronto's climate readiness 12 months ago Duration 2:05 Still, the FSRA says it has significantly increased its oversight of the property and casualty insurance sector. This sector includes insurance protecting people and businesses from financial losses due to property damage, theft, natural disasters and legal claims, according to the agency. The FSRA published a report in June 2024 reviewing home insurance claims practices across the top 20 insurers in Ontario. The agency said it identified "several areas of concern" that were addressed directly with insurers. These included irregular or insufficient communication with customers, and some companies not adequately tracking the reasons why claims are denied. Homeowners need better access to risk information, Weltman said. The IBC is working with the FSRA "to determine mechanisms to share risk information," he said. He said the insurance industry is also collaborating with the federal government to develop a flood risk portal. But Taylor said without an analysis of Ontarians' threshold to continue paying for ongoing open ended hikes, the province could end up with a large portion of households unable to afford insurance at all. "We need to see where the system breaks: how many homes, and at what price of insurance," she said. Home insurance premiums rapidly increasing: Ontario home insurance rates climbed 84 per cent between 2014 and 2024, according to analysis by My Choice Financial Inc., while for Canada as a whole rates climbed 76 per cent in the decade. The increases came despite Statistics Canada data showing inflation of 28 per cent over the period. According to home insurance premiums are rapidly increasing across the province, and flood risk plays a huge role. Last year, Toronto was pummelled with close to 100 millimetres of rain in one day, which left dozens of homeowners dealing with insurance claims for flooded basements. Similar extreme weather events are only expected to continue due to climate change. "We've seen in 2025 rates are already up around 5 per cent in the first quarter," said David Mayer, director of insurance markets at "So continue to shop your insurance before your renewal arrives and see if you can get a better deal." If a consumer has filed a recent claim related to severe weather, Weltman said they should reach out to their insurance representative, who may be able to offer suggestions on steps they can take to better protect their property in the short-term. But he said all levels of government should work together to strengthen municipal capacity to deal with natural disasters. This includes improving where and how building happens, such as by avoiding floodplains and using resilient materials, he said. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance said the department is working with FSRA "to monitor the situation closely and ensure homeowners are receiving the best possible options." "We are also in regular contact with the insurance industry to discuss options to support homeowner insurance," Scott Blodgett said via email.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
These Younger Democrats Are Sick of Their Party's Status Quo
A number of prominent younger Democrats with records of winning tough races are forming a new group with big ambitions to remake their party's image, recruit a new wave of candidates and challenge political orthodoxies they say are holding the party back. Members of the initiative, Majority Democrats, have different theories about how the national party has blundered. Some believe a heavy reliance on abortion-rights messaging or anti-Trump sentiment has come at the expense of a stronger economic focus. Others say party leaders underestimate how much pandemic-era school closures or reflexive defenses of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s re-election bid have eroded voters' trust in Democrats. But the roughly 30 elected officials at the federal, state and local levels who have so far signed on to the group broadly agree that the Democratic Party must better address the issues that feel most urgent in voters' lives — the affordability crisis, for example — and that it must shed its image as the party of the status quo. Many of the group's members have, at times, challenged the party's establishment, something the organization embraces. 'If we don't build this big-tent party that can win majorities,' warned Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, a leader of the initiative, 'we're on the path of being the party of the permanent minority from a national-election perspective.' Being the anti-Trump party 'might win a midterm election,' Ms. Craig, who is also running in a competitive primary for the Senate, added, 'but it's not going to build lasting majorities. We've got to lay out the case for what we're for as a party.' Majority Democrats is partly a network and convening forum for elected officials to trade best practices, debate and develop ideas. Discussions are underway about how the officials could mobilize politically on one another's behalf, and plans are in the works for public voter-engagement events starting later this summer. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
How the Rich Go Grocery Shopping
Good morning. It's Tuesday. Today we'll look at the gourmet groceries that some residents of the Hamptons flock to, even if a melon might cost $400. This summer, New Yorkers in the market for $400 melons, a $159 sweatshirt or perhaps some veal baby food need only travel as far as Southampton, where all the above can be found in at least one of the area's pricey gourmet grocery stores. My colleague Dionne Searcey reported on the fierce high-end grocery competition going down in the Hamptons this summer. As much of New York grapples with an affordability crisis, these specialty stores are seemingly unaffected, ramping up prices and stocking shelves with niche items for the personal chefs, influencers and summer residents who shop there. Some shops, like the Sagaponack General Store, are longtime favorites that are leveling up with multimillion-dollar expansions. The general store's revival was financed by Mindy Gray — wife of Jonathan Gray, the billionaire president of the investment firm Blackstone — who snapped up the store when it came up for sale during the pandemic. Ms. Gray's cash infusion supplied the business with a restored front porch and a line of hoodies (for $159) and tote bags (from $65 to $142). Another store, Loaves & Fishes in Sagaponack, raised its prices so conspicuously this year that some residents have started calling it 'Thieves and Fishes' instead. The store, which said the increase took into account the price of new organic ingredients, also rarely includes price tags on its wares. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
