This is The Family Responsibilities Office

My headache began in 2002, and became a full blown nightmare on January 8, 2009. In 2002, I was court-ordered to pay child support. This support was to be paid to the Family Responsibilities Office of Ontario. Who in turn forwards said payment to the recipient (my ex).

I tried to pay FRO right after the order was made, however they informed me I could not make payments until the case file is set up in their computer system. If I paid her directly and she doesn’t report the payments to them, then they have no choice but to enforce the order, and I would have to pay again. Sorry, but who trusts their Ex that much? I know people that do trust their current spouse this much.



Eleven months later I received a threatening letter. These are standard letters informing you ( The Pryor ) that FRO has the right to take enforcement actions against you. These actions may include suspension of drivers or any federal license (e.g. pilot ), revoke passport, seizure of bank accounts, garnishment of income source, and or any federal money, writ of seizure and sale of property , and of course jail. One would think suspending the license of a long haul truck driver in an attempt to get money from him would be counter productive. I had not paid my support in 11 months this is true, however in my defense I couldn’t make payments to a case file that didn’t exist. Could I ?



This should have told me all I needed to know about this office. Why would this be my first contact from FRO? They told me I could not pay them until my case file was in the computer and, the first contact with them threatens me with up to and including jail? Nice to know we got off on the right foot.



Over the next few years, I continued working as a long haul truck driver. This made it difficult to keep on top of things. It would also prove expensive too! Over and over I made payments to FRO, but they failed to reach my ex. I had been paying child support in cash for an older child from a pervious relationship. We never had the need to go to court. That is until FRO’ s repeated accounting mishaps and utter incompetence. They began taking 50 % of my income making it next to impossible to pay my bills plus support my oldest child.

This led to a second file with FRO which again took a year for FRO to set up and a new letter of the same enforcement actions was received.



Again I was accused of being a “deadbeat” that didn’t want to pay his support payments.

Again to a file that did not exist till the day they mailed their “how do you do?” letter.

I pick up and drop my children off every other weekend, no matter where my children’s mother decides to move, as long as it’s within 2 hours which leads me to six hours of additional driving every other weekend in order to visit with my boys.

No one seemed to care about the money I spend on gas or even the extra driving an already tired truck driver was doing after his long week of work. I did this work so I could provide money for FRO to play hide and seek with.



FRO had already proven to be a major pain, yet the best was still to come.

January 8, 2009, I was contacted by FRO by letter telling me I had not paid a penny in support in years, to either case. It was demanded I pay $1,200 within the next 48 hours or FRO would suspend my license. Although I had proof of $2,700 that was paid for arrears while waiting for the case file to be opened. This money had reached its recipient, however still managed to not be applied to the case file? I should mention that FRO likes to take say a $100 payment and turn it into a series of smaller payments and not in whole dollar either. So you need to be quick with the calculator. This way the number you have and the numbers FRO Enforcement Agents are spitting out don’t match and you, get mad and they hang up. This also helps detour you from fighting them in court as you can’t afford for a lawyer to keep up with the paper work let alone finger this mess out. And if you can they can always through a 50% garnishment at you. You could get an accountant to try to decipher it? However I don’t think he or she will like you very much come tax time. The total outstanding balance according to FRO was $11,400 for the two cases.

I hit the roof as you can imagine. I went to my bank and retrieved records of money coming out of my account and being sent to FRO. The reply was “That doesn’t prove that you paid your support. You need to prove who got the money.



I asked the agent, if he thought I would pay someone else’s support, and not my own?......... He didn’t understand why I would do that either, however would still not even consider it may be a problem on FRO’ s end.



I asked when the last payment was received. The answer was the first date after I had set up a auto payment on my account, meaning they had received payments before this way. There for, it was not the bank’s mistake as they don’t type in case numbers each time the payment is sent. Hence, “Automated payments” .



My case manager promised me. If I took my case to court, that FRO has more than enough lawyers to tie me up in court for years.. It would be cheaper to give them the $11,000. Besides it would be very difficult to afford a lawyer as he could put a 50% garnishment on my wages. I called a few lawyers and, they all agreed with him. Some had first hand experience with this kind of situation. Others where still willing to take my money, if I was willing to give it to them.

So I opted for the 50% garnishment of my wages and a 100% on all federal money e.g. Income tax returns.



I thought if they garnished me, my problems would be over.

Surely FRO can’t say they are not receiving payment if they are garnished, right?

Maria, the wonderful lady from the company payroll department who handles all special cases such as garnishments. Took offence to FRO suggesting she didn’t enter the case file numbers properly. Again FRO received the first payment, but nothing after. This is now the second time FRO has blamed the other company. The 3^rd and 4^th Revenue Canada and Employment Insurance, respectively. How can an office with Responsibilities in the name not ever be responsible for anything? Wow! isn’t that ironic?

Since January 8, 2009, I have received forty of these love letters. All for not making payments of child support, which are again already being garnished from my income source. Still! To this day!

How can this continue to happen?

It should be easy to get this straightened out right?

Wrong again. I have to go into my MPP’ s office with all of my income tax statements, pay stubs etc. for them to fax it to FRO.

The ladies at MPP John O’ Toole’ s office have spent hours helping me prove to FRO that they are receiving money being sent to them by the Federal Government. And I thank them very much for that. I am not always in a great mood when visiting. But they are understanding as, I am sure it is frustrating for them too.

After the first time this happened and was straightened out, I thought OK this is over. They can’t want me to keep going to my MPP’ s to point out FRO’ s continuous inability to do the simplest of math.



Guess what happens a few months later. Yes, That’s a gold star for you! I am not even half way through my story and you can see a pattern. Off to MPP O’ Toole’ s office again to re-fax everything yet again. I don’t remember how many times I have called or visited the MPP’ s office over the pasted 27 months. I can tell you. When I call, I no longer have to tell them who is calling. They know my voice. All of my voices. The loud one tends to call first. Since July 2010, I have had to prove that my wages are garnished every two – three months. This March was the fourth time since the previous July. I have now accumulated about six inches of paper work since this latest ordeal began. Without going to court.



Around June or July of 2010 I realized that the credit bureau had not been informed of any of my payments from Jan 2009 to July 2010. I had paid $11,400 of arrears I maintain, I did not accumulate of my own accord, plus my on going support. I managed this in just eight months. It wasn’t easy for me or my family this was a hard and very stressful period. I called FRO and demanded they contact the credit bureau and clear my credit rating. Fair is fair right? Well,,,, not when the office you are dealing with, is funded by the Ontario Government.



FRO’ s budget is nearly $50 million annually. This is from 2006, the most recent information I could find. Although I didn’t spend that much time looking. It could be higher now? I can not prove that it is, so I will not say that it is. I will stick to what I can back up.

They did eventually report my payments to the credit bureau’s Equifax and Trans Union Credit. They also sent me copies of these letters, dated July 29 2010 and were sent by the enforcement manager who I shall not name. As Somehow I can see me having to pay for that too.

These letters show a balance of $0.00 on both case files. I have these letters in my files and am willing to prove it. I also have a Schedule (A ) that do not show any other charges, after that date other than support charges. A schedule (A) is a print out from FRO showing any and all charges to your case file.



In September, I again receive a threatening letter dated September 9^th 2010 saying I owed $1,143.15 in arrears on just one case file. My Mother is stopping by later today her semi retired grade school teacher friend, so I will double check this next part. My monthly support payment is $300.00 for this case. July 29^th to September 9^th is just 42 days. How many days are in a month? Even if I didn’t pay in August and they added the September payment before the end of the month as is common practice. It still doesn’t add up to $1143.15. Lets simplify this. 3+ 3 = ???? If you came to a number greater than 6. Congratulations you have pasted your aptitude test for FRO’ s manager of accounting job. If you do not speak either of the two official languages of this Country. I am sure they will have a public relations position for you too.



July, 31 2009 I suffered a severe head injury. Complete with inter-cranial hemorrhages. A few days after my release from hospital. I contacted my case manger to inform him of my situation. I had just paid off my arrears and didn’t need that again. He laughed saying that was a new one. People will say anything to get out of paying for their responsibilities. I can prove that injury too. CT scans and MRI’ s don’t lie.



By July 2010, I was on EI sick benefits and federal garnishments are still in place so this should go just fine. It’s now been 8 months and four trips to the MPP’ s office armed with every statement sent to me showing a garnishment for the “Family Order”.

Yet I now find myself a little over $3,000 in arrears as of March 11, 2011. How can this be?

Here’s something funny on March 10, 2011, I was in arrears for $1,773.93. the next day for the same case I was told $2,073.93 – guess another month went by. I must have hit my head harder than I thought.



Since my accident I have had to learn to do a lot of things over again. Things like Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. I have had one failed attempt of a return to work as well. I am currently doing up grading and preparing for collage. So that I may make a return to the work force and become a contributing member of society again. What you are reading is my first attempt at an Essay since High School many years ago, how am I doing? Through all of this I have not given up, or felt sorry for myself. The only time I have felt helpless is when dealing with this negligent, trite, mismanaged band of misfits at the Family Responsibility Office. This office is like a bloodhound locked on it’s own scent. For those of you not in the know, a Hunting dog that doesn’t hunt, tend to have a short life expectancy. Maybe it’s time someone took the FRO office for one last long walk out behind the barn.



I understand that this office is needed. However the incompetence isn’t, and must stop. I have simply Googled the words Family Responsibilities Office, Ontario Ombudsman and Ontario Auditor General – all separately, however FRO and either of the other two will have you bombarded with years of reading material on repeated incompetence, abuse of power, and missed opportunities to collect tens of thousands of dollars in arrears. The list goes on for seemingly ever. One of these missed opportunities was for over $26,000. The recipient even called FRO. For months June- September informing them of a home being sold by her ex husband. FRO reacted four months later, or one month after the sale of said house. She was not informed of anything by FRO until she contacted the Ombudsman’s office in December.



The abusive nature of the enforcement agents who never seem to know anything, is due to the screaming recipients not getting support payments that they often know are being paid, Hostile Payers who are not being credited for their payments. As well as the many thousands of case holders that are getting no attention. Cant imagine they are chipper, I have had to show my pay stubs to my screaming Ex. To show that it is not that I am not paying the ordered support.

When she contacted FRO they stuck to “ he is not paying.” She told them about the garnishment on my pay and that she had seen this. “His employer must not be sending it properly.” Was the next excuse she was given. We have a good relationship other than support not getting to her.

I have called FRO many times as I am paying and the money is not going to my children, and it is not showing up as being paid. I can admit that these calls usually end with me yelling at some smug Enforcement Agent who is telling me “that’s what the computer is telling me.” I even walk one Agent through a little lesson in logic. Spock,, he is not! If there is a Federal garnishment in place against me and I am on EI, how can you not get the payment? He still said “that’s what the computer says.” Really Gomer? How do you get home at night without your trusty computer telling you where to go? Even after proving my payments, it doesn’t always show up. It never stops.

I have talked to two other Mothers who are both owed more than $10,000 in arrears who have been told to hire private investigators to find where their ex’s work or live. Both have provided this information to the FRO and still can’t get FRO to enforce the orders. I could introduce you to these women, but their privacy is too important. Some interesting information I found stating that FRO was given $40 million in 2006 for a state of the art computer system and to help set up Special Enforcement Teams who’s sole purpose is to track down and find ways to collect from delinquent Payers. So why are people being told to hire Private Investigators? What’s next? Will they hire,,, The Dogg? This is money well spent.



One of these women was forced to sell her home, because she is supporting her three children on her salary of $35,000/yr. Without the support that was court order, and not enforced by FRO. The over ten thousand dollars she is owed would have helped I’m sure. I am not saying that these payments are not being made. I have no way of knowing that, however I can say that no payments are being forwarded to the recipients. And nothing is being done to find out what is going on. Or at least not that FRO is telling.



These are not isolated incidents. Talk to anyone involved with FRO, That includes your MPP’ s office staff. You will find these stories are everywhere. Or, to make it easy check out Deadbeat Government agency finally pays up, written by Antonella Artuso.

Year after year the Ontario Ombudsman and the Ontario Auditor General give the Family Responsibilities Office failing grades. (as far back as 2003).Yet seemingly, this office actually gets worse, not better. The Ministry of Community and Social Services Office sits idly by and pretends things are going great. I only said that because when I was on their web site, the site speaks glowingly about the success of the program.

It is an absolute insult for me to read the fiction on this site.



I know first hand how they operate. The site claims “The Family Responsibility Office helps people meet their court-ordered spousal/child support responsibilities. It also claims “we work to make sure that support payments flow from the person who pays support to the person receives it”. If you count 40 threatening letters in 27 months to someone who voluntarily had his wages garnished to have proof through a third party, fair? Is that help? The FRO Web site also claims they handle $650 million in collected payments per year from 180,000 cases that represents nearly 400,000 people.



I would think the number of people would be higher as I think of my children as people too. And see first hand how my children could befit from my payments but they are lost in the shuffle and I cant afford to pay them twice. Well I guess the summer is coming. I could tent it for the summer. Somewhere in the offices of FRO my case managers can be heard “ya gotta do whatcha gotta do.”



According to the Auditor General’s report from 2010, FRO is really only working on about 15% of the 180,000 cases. That is 27,000 cases (In reality) of the 180,000 cases. That also means 153,000 cases are not being worked on. If they are handling $650 million? that, I believe brakes down to $24,074.04 per case, per year, meaning the average monthly payment is $2,006.17 per month. There are support guide lines you can look them up on-line. I have two children who I pay support through this office for. For my payment to be $2006.04 per month. My income would need to be over 150,000 per year. Am I to believe that the average income for people in this program is $ 150,000 per year? I for one, highly doubt that, now $650 million divided by 180,000 is 3,611 per year, per case . Which is about $300 per month meaning the average income is more like $36,000 and, one child in the system. That I believe. I would only have one case file had it not be for FRO to begin with. So this should read that FRO should collect 650 million and should handle 180,000 cases? Of the 1.3 billion of uncollected support payments as of 2006. $200 million was owed to Ontario works that was then, I wonder how much now? They don’t just waste their budget they take for other budgets too. Don’t believe me, check with Ontario Works and ODSP. I have two letters from Ontario works offices trying to collect money form me, because FRO didn’t send my payments to them as they were ordered to do. What? The Family Responsibilities Office didn’t follow an order? Instead they pass the buck to me! I hope you are keeping track of the millions FRO is costing tax payers. I lost count I think we are passed the half billion mark since 2003. Again this is just information that is readily available to all citizens of this Province. It’s called the freedom of information act.



As I mentioned before, I have been forced to change careers. Maybe I should apply for the position of Director of FRO. I am willing to bet one of the two pennies I have left to rub together, that I am grossly under-qualified. How I could possibly do worse than nothing? I can tell you this much. I would not keep the same management staff that has not achieved even reasonable results or any signs of improvements since 2003. Unless spending $50 million of our tax dollars is the goal.

I would like to give a shout out to my case manager who I can’t name. I may not have been able to fight you in the court of law, But I can take you the court of public opinion as it is free! All I need is an opinion. Oh this year is special. And I don’t think you have enough spin to weasel your way out of this.

I for one would like to see our elected officials act as responsible government and stop this obscene waste of tax money.

Please feel free to contact your MPP. Call the Minister of Community and Social Services Office. The Family Responsibilities Office themselves, Minister Madeline Meilleur MPP. home riding of Ottawa - Vanier (613- 744-4484).

However, if you call FRO and don’t have a case number you can’t get past the automated call directory. Amazing how their automated call service works.



I urge everyone to stand up for yourself, your children, heck stand up for one another. These are our tax dollars. It seems we don’t stand up until services disappear, there are even longer waiting times for said services or our taxes are raised. It’s time of our Provincial Government to become responsible to the tax payers and start cutting wasteful spending, not our services. And they are OUR SERVICES!!!