Matt Gurney: Dysfunctional Ontario bureaucracy sets up fathers to fail
(Aaron Lynett / National Post)
Dalton McGuinty: Men? Why should I care about men?
Ontario’s plan to begin impounding the cars of fathers who fall behind in their child support payments next month has a familiar ring to it. I’ve heard of a very similar story before. The man’s name is Jeff Dolan, and his case should ring alarm bells for any Ontario politician considering linking driving privileges to child support.
Jeff’s story is as depressing as it is worrisome. His wife left him soon after he lost his job when the construction industry in his native Minnesota bottomed out. He moved from job to job, trying to earn enough to meet his child support obligations and pay for needed medical treatment, but with no jobs available, he fell behind in his payments while volunteering at a sexual violence clinic and looking for stable work. He finally landed a good job, one that would allow him to make his payments and also included medical benefits. But then the courts caught up with him and, since he’d fallen behind in his payments, stripped him of his license. A valid driver’s license was a condition of his new job, which he then lost. He then fell further behind, and was jailed. The courts told him he could get out once he had a job. He couldn’t get a job until he restored his ability to drive … and he couldn’t do that from jail. Read More »
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