Long overdue

A man with significant medical issues contacted us with the help of his social worker because he was experiencing financial hardship due to the Family Responsibility Office garnishing his Canada Pension Plan benefits for past child support arrears – although his children were now in their 30s.

A man with significant medical issues contacted us with the help of his social worker because he was experiencing financial hardship due to the Family Responsibility Office garnishing his Canada Pension Plan benefits for past child support arrears – although his children were now in their 30s. Our review of the decades-old file with FRO officials revealed that a miscommunication between their office and another government office resulted in the man’s child support obligation not being terminated in 2006. As a result, his arrears were reduced by more than $30,000, and FRO officials arranged for him to pay the remainder through a much lower payment plan and an amended garnishment.