Clients often ask us how to enforce Court Orders or Court Registered Agreements for child support, or spousal support. In particular, when the payor parent stops paying or the payor spouse stops paying. In Nova Scotia, one option available to you is the Maintenance Enforcement Program. The Maintenance Enforcement Program is an organization that is tasked with enforcing Court Orders for support. They are governed by the Maintenance Enforcement Act.

What Can The Maintenance Enforcement Program Do?

The Maintenance Enforcement Program has a broad range of powers available to enforce Court Orders. This can include garnishing a payor’s wages, suspending a payor’s license and even suspending a payor’s passport. They also provide an ongoing record of support payments made and received, so that both parties are assured that payments are up to date.

The Maintenance Enforcement Program can enforce Court Orders for child support, spousal support, and in some circumstances, section 7 expenses. However, the language required in a Court Order for enforcement is very specific. It is important that the language requirements are met to ensure the Maintenance Enforcement Program is able to enforce the financial obligations contained within the Order properly.

The family law lawyers at Lenehan Musgrave LLP are experienced in ensuring Court Orders meet the requirements of the Maintenance Enforcement Program for enforcement. If you have any questions regarding the enforcement of your Order, we encourage you to contact one of our lawyers or complete the form below to book a consultation.

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What constitutes common law?

A common law relationship is simply the act of living together in a marriage-like relationship without actually being legally married. It does not require any kind of legal process to create a common law union. The definition of common law partnership also differs depending on the laws applied. For example, the Canada Pension Plan states that two people are in a common law relationship after a year of cohabitation. The Parenting and Support Act, on the other hand, requires two years of cohabitation before a relationship can be described as common law.