TORONTO, June 9 /CNW/ - Ontario is set to become a national leader in

enforcing family support payments thanks to new legislation that gives

stronger enforcement authority to the Family Responsibility Office (FRO),

Minister of Community and Social Services Sandra Pupatello announced today.

    "This legislation will help the FRO crack down on the worst offenders who

are ignoring their court-ordered support payments," said Pupatello. "This

legislation is just one of our initiatives that will help the FRO get families

the money they are owed."

    The legislation will:

        -  Increase enforcement by extending the maximum jail term for

           failure to comply with court orders.

        -  Improve fairness by allowing the FRO to enforce a lesser amount of

           support when the number of children entitled to support decreases.

        -  Enhance efficiency by encouraging employers and other income

           sources to send payments to the FRO electronically.

    The government will phase in the legislation over the next 24 months to

coincide with other operational changes that are being put in place at the

FRO, including an overhaul of the FRO's technology.

    "We are pleased to see the government's commitment delivered with the

passage of this bill," said Renate Diorio, Founder of Families Against

Deadbeats (FAD). "This move will ensure that Ontario families finally get what

they deserve."

    In addition to the legislative and technology changes, the government has

implemented a broad range of service improvements at the FRO that have

resulted in:

        -  Almost 200,000 additional calls handled by the FRO's new customer

           service unit since February 2004, a 36 per cent increase.

        -  Over $112 million being collected as a result of the credit bureau

           initiative. This initiative informs support payors who are in

           arrears that they may be reported to the credit bureau.

    "Today we are taking a giant step forward to make parents live up to

their family responsibilities, while at the same time making the system fairer

for the majority of parents who do live up to their support obligations," said

Pupatello. "Finally, after many years and calls for change, the FRO will have

the tools it needs to make sure people live up to their support obligations."