Fortunately for many single parents and spouses, new amendments to The Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Amendment Act means that collections have become easier for the Maintenance Enforcement Office (MEO).
The changes include allowing the MEO to enforce against assets, ease of obtaining information, and updating the procedure for seizing bank accounts, property, and employment income. Courts can now also suspend a maintenance order for a period of six months, which helps if an individual’s financial situation changes. Basically, single parents or spouses who rely on the court-ordered payments of their ex-partners will have an easier time of getting their money.
“The big one is allowing us to enforce against assets for a payer that lives outside the country,” said Lionel McNabb, director of the MEO.
Basically, the MEO can garnish income or workers’ compensation if the individual has changed provinces.
Unfortunately, the only way the MEO can help out single parents or spouses collect their support is if they’re members. While the ME program is free, McNabb says people usually only come to them when their former partners are already behind in payments. Sometimes they come just so they don’t have to fight with each other. Once they’re registered, the MEO takes over and it’s one less thing to fight about.
“Once you join the program, payments have to be made through the ME office, which is when we’ll start collecting,” said McNabb. “If they don’t, we start action against them, garnishing them; we’ll keep chasing them.”
In some cases, McNabb said they still people with ongoing payments. They’re catching up with them in their old age through their pensions. The only thing the MEO needs is an agreement with the other party (which is more common) or a court order that they can enforce.
Regarding seizure of bank accounts, property, and employment income, the government simply made changes by mirroring the language in The Enforcement of Money Judgments Act.
Should an individual’s financial situation change, such as losing a job, the new amendments also give some leeway to get back on their feet.
“Sometimes when we bring payers in, some of our challenges are their wages are way down and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said McNabb. “Now we can get court order changed or go back and get a new agreement. It gives the court some discretion to tell the payer to get something changed. Being able to get assets is a great thing.”
According to the government news release, Saskatchewan’s MEO has one of the highest collection rates in Canada.
“In the 2013-2014 fiscal year, more than 91 per cent of payment due were collected,” said the release. “This resulted in a record setting amount of $41.1 million in collections.”
