Ombud blasts child-support collections

Cites example of mother who changed name to avoid making payments

Canadian Press,  (published in various newspapers across Canada) including The Toronto Star, August 9, 2006

A name change that kept a dad from collecting child support is just the latest in routine carelessness at the office tasked with collecting from deadbeat parents, Ontarios ombudsman said today.

Andre Marin called on the province to take action after finding the Family Responsibility Office is inept and has a ``lackadaisical attitude when it comes to collecting outstanding child support.

He wants the provincial government to fix the system which was set up a decade ago to enforce court-awarded support orders because deadbeats have been having a free ride for too long.

This cant go on, said Marin, who released a scathing report Wednesday outlining deficiencies at the FRO.

Theres got to be a point where we agree either the government can pull up its socks and do it right, or we look at other options.

Marin said other options could include turning the job over to a private collection agency to ensure support is paid out.

In reviewing the offices records, Marin found that as of March 2005, deadbeat parents in Ontario owe more than $1.3 billion in support to their former spouses and children.

As a result, the government is paying out nearly $200 million in social assistance because enforcement is not vigorous enough, said Marin. Thats a lot of money.

Marin said the agency holds powerful legal tools to go after deadbeat parents but instead acts like a paper tiger, following the rules at the expense of common sense.

Administrators have taken a wooden view of their rules and obligations and forgotten that they are dealing with real people, reads his report.

The news didnt come as a big shock to Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur. She said the government knew that the FRO needed an overhaul.

When we came into power, we quickly moved to give the office $40 million over four years to improve their service, she said, noting previous reports by the ombudsman and provincial auditor had pointed out deficiencies in the support enforcement system.

Meilleur said the increased funding is beginning to have an effect and pointed to the FROs ranking in the ombudsmans annual report.

In 2001, the FRO received the most complaints but it dropped to No. 4 in the ombudsmans latest report, tabled earlier this year.

Still, Meilleur said shes directed the FRO to review its current policies and procedures.

Its a four-year plan. We still have improvements to make. Were going to do it, she said.

The report was based on the case of a Toronto-area father who was unable to collect support for his teenaged son because the FRO used the wrong name in filing a writ of seizure against his former wifes house.

When the mother sold the house she was able to pocket $20,000 in profits despite being in arrears on support because she changed her name to its maiden form, rendering the legal documents invalid.

The ombudsmans investigation found that the office knew the woman went under a variety of names but knowingly registered a ``useless order.

The father, who only wanted to be identified as Mr. F, said he hoped the government would act given the ombudsmans scathing report.

I find them the most inept, unprofessional, callous office in this government, said Mr. F, whose son is now 16.

NDP social services critic Michael Prue called for an immediate audit of the Family Responsibility Office.

Obviously its not working for too many Ontarians, he said.

They follow the rules so rigidly that they create huge hassles for ordinary people. It happens every day.

Opposition leader John Tory suggested bringing in new staff.

From where I come from, if you had $1.3 billion in absolutely uncollected arrears of anything, whoever was in charge of that would lose their job, he said.

Its unacceptable.