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April 24, 1999
The Honorable Mike Harris
Premier of Ontario
Queens Park
Toronto, ON M7A 1T
Dear Premier Harris,
You and the Minister of Community and Social Services, Janet Ecker, are to be congratulated for your pro-active response to welfare fraud and in significantly reducing the number of welfare recipients.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the Ministry of the Attorney General, Family Responsibility Office (FRO). Under the direction of Charlie Harnick, the FRO, is abdicating it's responsibilities/encouraging fraud in matters concerning student loans and adult child support payments. In fact the FRO is obstructing the attempts of the Ministry of Education and Training efforts to reduce this type of fraud. This is not the kind of Government taxpayers want or can afford to tolerate.
The taxpayers of Ontario are having to pay for these acts of fraud and the FRO has abdicated it's responsibilities to the people of Ontario by stating that "Presently, there is no legal obligation requiring FRO to provide such information". Lynn Binette, Director FRO (on behalf of Charlie Harnick) October 14, 1998.
To eliminate fraud in matters concerning student loans and adult child support payments I request the that you do not get bogged down in making a legal obligation requiring FRO to provide such information. Instead, eliminate the practice of child support payments for "adult children" (18 years of age and older). While this is part of the Divorce Act generated by the Government of Canada, the Provinces have the right (and obligation) not to enforce discriminatory services.
By eliminating support payments to adult children (a contradiction in terms from the Divorce Act and a discriminatory service by the FRO) you will eliminate fraud in matters concerning student loans and child support payments.
Please confirm when, this year, my request is implemented.
Sincerely yours, Ted Greenfield
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