can ill afford to do

NJ Newsからのpick outです。

Travel officials work to drive tourists back to post-Sandy Jersey Shore

So instead of simply saying the state’s beaches were open, ad campaigns directed tourists to Florida Live to let travelers make their own decisions, while Florida tourism officials hoped they’d pick another destination in state if their first choice was affected by the spill, she said.
"We could ill afford to look as though we were pushing them to come that summer and risk losing them for every summer after that for the rest of time,” Torian said.

can affordでは「余裕のある」という意味でご存知かと思います。
しかし、illをつけることで「it will cause problems for you if you do it（もししたら、自分に支障がでる）」という意味になります。
Sandyが過ぎた後でも観光地やビーチも景気復活のために大変そうです。自分が英国から戻るころには景気が良くなってるといいです（Sugar）

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/travel_officials_want_tourists.html#incart_river