Broken system
Re: “Fighting a system we can’t get out of,’ Christie Blatchford, April 5
The National Post’s reportage of Ontario’s provincially administered programs sometimes creates the conundrum of which area’s greater ineptitude better warrants a response. Today, Ms. Blatchford’s story on “Rob R” from Oshawa and his futile struggles correcting an obvious injustice regarding support won over the ongoing hydro bungling.
As a matter of interest, 17 years back the Post ran an excellent series of articles titled “The myth of the deadbeat dad.” I submitted the recommendations of that article to my local MPP. That i ndividual responded in April 2000 and mentioned that what was said was true and that changes were being made to address the problems. Obviously there is still much work to be done.
Regarding “Rob R.,” even allowing he was self- represented, it’s hard not to conclude the original judgment and the 2015 motion denial were utterly incompetent. How could anyone honestly think making someone pay more than he earns is fair? The man and his devoted second wife have had their lives largely ruined owing to the court’s failure to set fair spousal and child support levels.
If there were any justice, the next justice hearing the motion would not only terminate the spousal support and adjust the child support, he/she would make the exwife pay back the money she received during the past two years while she was earning a higher salary than her ex- husband. But that would make too much sense. John Winegarden, Scarborough, Ont. Thank you Christie Blatchford. The Ontario government has spent thousands to study the family court system only to learn each and every time that it is broken. There are thousands of families that have been terrorized by a court system that is in no way equal to our status as a world mentor on how an educated justice system operates. I have seen better family justice in Third-World nations.
Although I am sure you have more than enough material from both men and women on how poor the system is, I can say that the majority of the serious cases are related to men and extreme mistreatment by the courts. I raised my sons alone but paid child support and spousal ( yes both) and could not afford a lawyer ( self- represented) and was treated like a second- class citizen — lost half my military pension and could pay for the rest of my life. Most readers will be shocked to know that spousal support is now indefinite, which means you still pay after your former spouse is remarried.
No man is capable of fighting the system when they are broke and broken. Please continue to bring the attention to this extremely important problem — for my sons’ sake. I was a proud Canadian until I faced the family court spectacle. Henry Doucette, Ottawa