Together we are Strong

Why is it some have all the luck and others don't. I have been registered with the Maintenance Enforcement Program for 11 yrs this coming September, and my daughter's and I are owed over 19,900.00 and you know what maintenance says to me - "if you don't like the program you don't have to be on it", "He needs his license to go to work", "He has to be given the benefit of the doubt".

After eleven yrs of dealing with maintenance I ask, where is the benefit for the children? The children are who maintenance say they work for, but all I see as the single parent is break after break for the parent that owes. He even had 35 days to respond to a court ordered garnishee of his wages (sent out end of July), but at the end of September he still has yet to pay a penny. Oh by the way he was to lose his license at the end of July but he phoned maintenance and made arrangements and got to keep his license.

It is now September he has his license and my daughters and I have received nothing. Today September 22,2008 I phoned maintenance to see if we had yet to receive some funds and the collector at maintenance said the company never received any papers. How convenient that the person that owes maintenance is a partner in that same company. So again the parent that owes gets another 35 days to respond.

It will be well into October or into November before my daughters and I see any sort of financial help. But at the end of the day the parent that owes will have saved for ten to eleven months before he pays even one month. and all he has to pay is a 1,100.00 when he has saved over 10,000.00 just this year alone. "Again where is the benefit for the children I ask you?"
I ask you, all of you single parents - "does maintenance help you?".

Now I'm not talking huge amounts of money per month, but I am talking about eleven years, and a 19,900 balance, and the only answer I ever get is some sort of excuse. If you are as unlucky as I am with child maintenance please write your story and address it to your MLA and together maybe we can have a voice. If you would like to send it to P.O. Box 1443 Rocky Mtn. House AB T4T 1B1 I will try to make your story heard with mine.

I believe one voice is weak, but many we are strong. We need to change the Maintenance Enforcement Program and together we are strong.

Joanne Latter