Year end figures show Bruce County got off relatively lightly in last year’s recession.
Director Terry Sanderson told Bruce County social services committee that caseloads were up 18 per cent to about 500 per month in 2009.
But he said that’s compared to 1,400 cases a month in the 1993 recession.
“This recession has been less dramatic, less intense,” Sanderson said.
“We’ve been very lucky in terms of opportunity for people. There’s really no comparison, to tell you the truth.”
Sanderson expects an eight per cent increase in numbers this year, an increase he said is manageable in terms of cost to the county and opportunities for social assistance recipients.
The county experienced a relatively light impact from the recession compared to Grey and Huron, partly because it has little industry related to the auto manufacturing sector, he said.