News release

Province Improving Maintenance Enforcement Program and Moving Good Jobs to Cape Breton

Justice

The province is moving good jobs to Cape Breton and making further improvements to the program that collects court-ordered child and spousal support payments.

Maintenance Enforcement Program offices will be consolidated in New Waterford in Cape Breton, a change that will improve service delivery, make the program more efficient, and move nearly 25 civil service jobs to Cape Breton. Eleven of the program's employees already work in the Sydney area.

"This change is part of ongoing efforts to improve this program by providing efficient, effective and consistent services for Nova Scotians and their families," said Deputy Premier Frank Corbett, on behalf of Justice Minister Ross Landry. "Moving the program to one location in Cape Breton is the next step in providing better client service while moving good jobs to areas."

The program collects court-ordered spousal and child support payments, known as maintenance. Just over 16,000 women and families receive payments every month. Service is currently delivered online, via telephone and in five locations around the province.

"Like all Nova Scotians, government wants strong and vibrant communities right across this province -- in rural and urban centres," said Mr. Corbett.

"We saw an opportunity to bring good jobs to a Cape Breton community that has lost jobs recently, where government hasn't had offices before. This is a move that will allow government to continue to improve a program that Nova Scotia families rely on by making it even more effective and efficient."

Consolidating program offices in one location will mean more consistent oversight, better opportunity for staff training, and new ways of providing client service while keeping good jobs in smaller communities.

The majority of clients access the Maintenance Enforcement Program online and through a telephone information line. Each month, the website gets 10,000 hits and the secure online payment system is accessed 7,000 times. About 25,000 calls are made to the information line. Only about two per cent of clients visit the five offices every month.

"Our community of New Waterford has suffered greatly from the loss of coal mining, but today's announcement shows that the province is committed to rebuilding our community with good, sustainable jobs," said Councillor Kim Desveaux, Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

"For our community to rebuild, we need investment, good jobs, and a strong working relationship among all levels of government. Decentralizing jobs to rural areas is a great step toward building strong communities that are part of a stronger Nova Scotia."

Consolidating the Maintenance Enforcement Program in one location is in keeping with the model used in seven other provinces and territories who use a more centralized model to deliver this type of service. The province has already closed three Maintenance Enforcement Program regional offices over the last decade and some program functions have been centralized in Sydney and Halifax.

This is one of three moves announced today by the province.

Program employees on the mainland will have the option of moving to Cape Breton or considering other opportunities in government.

Relocation is expected to happen over the next year. Updates will be available on the Department of Justice's website at www.gov.ns.ca/just/mep .