Ontario's child support system failing families to the tune of $2.1 billion, auditor general says

Spence’s “special report” also exposed inadequacies in special education programs in schools, the training of commercial truck drivers and the implementation of artificial intelligence — including its use by physicians. 

The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) has faced auditor criticisms in the decades since its inception in 1987. 

Spence’s report found it takes an average of 8.5 months for families awaiting money to have their cases registered by the FRO — double the provincial agency’s target time.

Fully 22 per cent of cases took more than a year, she added, highlighting the risk to vulnerable families.

“In single-parent households, child support is an important part of family income and makes a difference to children’s lives,” Spence noted in the 232-page report.

Despite handling 30,661 fewer family support cases than five years ago — a drop of 21 per cent — the FRO continues to have trouble meeting other service standards with roughly the same complement of staff, Spence said. 

For example, case management officers did not answer 65 per cent of phone calls or respond to 24 per cent of their voicemails within 48 business hours. 

“There may be opportunities to reallocate staff to improve on the service delivery targets that are not being met,” Spence said, citing an internal 2024 analysis of the agency’s front-line staff. 

While she noted FRO’s support payment collection rate of 66 to 68 cents per dollar owed has been stable over five years, the $2.1 billion stands out in the report as a failure in enforcement.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, roughly 38 per cent of cases made payments on time, an equal share made partial payments, and nearly one-quarter paid nothing. Enforcement options include wage garnishments, suspension of driver’s licences or passports, and registering liens against private property.

“We concluded that many of FRO’s systems, processes and policies to enforce child and spousal support obligations were not consistently effective,” Spence wrote.

More than 116,000 families rely on the FRO, which enforces court orders for the payment of child and spousal support. A 2010 auditor’s report highlighted its troubles collecting unpaid support, “creating undue hardship,” with 80 per cent of calls not reaching a representative.

Spence made 11 recommendations, including better oversight of enforcement and the documentation of reasons for not taking action to collect money. 

She also called on the office to calculate interest owed on support in court orders in arrears moving forward and add those amounts to outstanding payments. 

To deal with the overpayment issue, Spence said the office should develop a time frame to identify such cases and return money within six months. 

“Collecting amounts greater than the court-ordered obligation can have a negative financial impact on a payor,” the report said.

New Democrat MPP Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West) said the report shows that the Family Responsibility Office is failing Ontarians who are already struggling.

“Families are simply trying to keep food on the table, pay rent and cover basic needs while support payments sit tied up in delays and government failures,” said Gretzky.

“People are frustrated, and rightfully so. Families are being left without answers while the Ford government continues to look the other way.”

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said the report shows “a tired, directionless, and out-of-touch government that lacks oversight, refuses accountability, and is increasingly incapable of keeping Ontarians safe.”