Please read below the letter I sent to our Federal Attorney General in respect to my argument to change/revise the current law. Your support is needed!

Dear Mr Lametti

I am writing this letter as I feel the law in respect to Federal Child Support Guidelines needs to be challenged. This law indicates that the amount of child support is paid based on where the paying parent resides. If this law was put in place so that the child can maintain a similar lifestyle, then I feel that this law does not reflect this requirement.

Here is some back story to give you the basis of my argument. My children were both born and raised here in BC. While married, our family home was here in BC. In 2010, my marriage broke down From 2010-2011 my children's mother and I shared custody. I continued to financially support the family while my child's mom went back to school to become a care aid. At the end of 2011, both children came to live with me and in March 2012, their mom moved to Alberta.

I filed against their mother for child support to be paid for my 2 sons, whom both were in my care full time. When the hearing took place and the judge was about to make the order for support, my children's mother's lawyer indicated that federal guidelines indicated that the calculation would have to be based on where she resides. As a result, I was awarded support based on Alberta guidelines, which is a fair bit lower than BC guidelines.

In 2016, my youngest moved out to Alberta to live with his mother. Again, when the support hearing took place, the judge based the amount on where I (the payor) was living. I had to pay a substantially higher amount.

My son came back to live with me in 2018 and his mother is once again paying the lower Alberta rate.

Considering the cost of living in Alberta is much lower in here in BC, wages are also higher. In Alberta, you only have to pay the one tax, Also, based on the fact I have my son full time, my accommodation (rent) cost is much higher as I have to get a larger living space to accommodate my son. His mom is able to rent a one bedroom home as she does not require accommodation for him. I feel that my child's standard of living was greater when he lived in Alberta. I feel this creates a form of bias.

I feel the Federal Child Support Guidelines should be based on where the child resides. As my son's charter rights indicate that he has the right to take up residence, I feel that this present rule of law does not protect that right.

I have included some data, comparing the wages and cost of living between BC and Alberta. I have also included 2 rental listings from each geographical location for you to compare. Larger homes in Alberta, with a lower rental cost. These rental homes in BC are in Chilliwack, the city in which I reside. Their mother resides in Calgary. The average wage listings are based on both my child's mother's occupation, an LPN, and mine, an electrician

I am hoping to establish some dialogue with yourself or someone from your office, to let me know what steps I need to take, to present my argument to parliament, in hopes of them revising the current law to reflect the best needs and interest of the child. I feel the data strongly speaks for itself and I feel my argument has great merit.

Regards,

Ryan Morris