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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 12 ,2 02 0 | 8 If you do not pay child support under the Child Support Guidelines after separation what are the possible consequences? ASK THE PROFESSIONAL The advice offered in this column is intended for informational purposes only. Use of this column is not intended to replace or substitute any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other professional advice. We work for you. legal matters Q A Child Support Adjustments Helsons LLP is a firm of 9 Lawyers. We trace our firm back to 1885 in Georgetown, Ontario Frederick A. Helson (1921-2018) Allan W. Kogon (retired) David J. Ashbee John E. Schaljo Mark T. Rush Steven D. Kogon Caley E. Power Jessica A. Krause Jasmine M. Spudic Nicole E. Kucherenko Fiona A. Japaul Nancy L. Carnwath (retired) I often say to my clients in regard to child support the Child Support Guidelines make the support payable "written in stone". In court, there is practically no variation in child support from the Guidelines. If you know your income, you know your child support. The question now is what happens if you don't pay child support under the Guidelines for many years. The Supreme Court of Canada in September, 2020 answered that question by allowing a custodial parent arrears of child support dating back to 2001, from the date of separation. For child support payors not adjusting your child support annually as your income rises exposes you to what could be a significant lump sum debt payable when your former spouse gets around to demanding it. Helsons LLP Barristers and Solicitors 132 Mill Street, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 2C6 Tel: (905) 877-5200 35 Mill Street East, Acton, Ontario L7J 1H1 Tel: (519) 929-9333 Email: info@helsons.ca Web: www.helsons.ca David J. Ashbee 2018 Large Business of the Year 905-877-8500 •www.devereauxcemetery.ca A Final Gift to Your Family Main Office: 600 Spring Gardens Road, Burlington Owned & Operated by The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario Cemetery Address: 12337 17th Side Road, Georgetown Prearranging your burial or cremation is the last gift you can give your family. It releases them from having to quickly make decisions in their time of grief. It also frees them from the need to pay costs associated with your cemetery arrangements. Contact one of our family counsellors to discuss your wishes and options. November is Woman Abuse Prevention Month in Ontario, and in Canada, it's National Domestic Vio- lence Awareness Month. Domestic violence remains a prevalent issue across all communities in Halton -- an issue that needs in- creased awareness and ac- tion every month, not just November. In Canada, a woman or a girl dies as a re- sult of domestic violence every two and a half days. Halton Regional Police Service responds to an average of nine calls a day related to intimate partner violence. Since the pan- demic, Halton Women's Place has served almost 100 women and children through our shelter, 250 women through communi- ty services and received more than 1,100 crisis calls. These numbers show the continued impact of do- mestic violence on our community. Our work is more important than it has ever been, given the addi- tional challenges of CO- VID-19. We know many women are isolated in un- safe situations and that home is not a safe place for everyone. As we raise awareness around the prevalence of do- mestic violence, we will de- crease stigma around speaking up about abuse and seeking support. We hope that all women impact- ed by domestic violence will come forward and we can empower individuals in the community to stand up against this issue and know where to get support. As an organization, we continue to be fierce in our efforts to prevent domestic violence through educa- tion. However, we know that we have a long way to go until shelters are not needed. Throughout the month, we will again shine the light on domestic violence through our wrapped in courage campaign by wear- ing purple, a colour that sig- nifies courage ... because the courage of one woman is not enough. It takes an en- tire community to end vio- lence against women. Help us show women they are not alone by par- ticipating in our wrapped in courage campaign and highlight Halton in a sea of purple. You can purchase purple items -- from men's socks to purple "Covered in Courage" masks, to beauti- ful beaded bracelets. All these items and more can be found on www.haltonwomen- splace.com/shop. Join us for #HWPPurpleDay on Nov. 13, 2020. Each and ev- ery day, you can help by be- lieving the experiences that woman share. Be kind, listen and check in with your friends, family mem- bers and colleagues. If you are concerned about some- one's safety and are not sure how to start the con- versation, contact our cri- sis, information and sup- port line at 905-332-7892 or through our HWP Chat at haltonwomensplace.com/ chat and we can help you find the words. Thank you, Halton, for your continued support of the work that we do at Hal- ton Women's Place as we al- so cannot do this work alone. It is truly a commu- nity effort to end violence against women. Laurie Hepburn is the executive director at Hal- ton Women's Place. She can be reached at Lhep- burn@haltonwomen- splace.com. OPINION ONLY A COLLECTIVE EFFORT WILL END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN LAURIE HEPBURN Column Halton Women's Place will be revising its holiday program this year, due to the pandemic. Typically, HWP oper- ates a Holiday Hamper Pro- gram to sponsor families who have stayed at the women's shelter, or used its services during the last year, with donations of toys, clothes and house- hold items. This year, however, in keeping with public heath protocols, families will still be sponsored but with gift cards instead of items. Due to the lack of storage space, volunteer capacity and the handling of items, commu- nity members can contrib- ute by purchasing gift cards specific to family needs. "We are proud of our program and we want the community to know that every family staying in our shelters this holiday sea- son -- as well as women we work with in the communi- ty -- will receive a variety of gift cards," said Laurie Hepburn, HWP executive director. "This will also empower women by providing them the opportunity to pur- chase their own items or the opportunity to buy gifts for their children -- some- thing many women tell us is important to them." To find out more infor- mation about sponsoring a family, or donating to a gift card drive, email Kaitlin at kmckenna@haltonwo- mensplace.com. HALTON WOMEN'S SHELTER PREFERS GIFT CARD DONATIONS THIS CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY