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Legal Obligation
If you have an obligation to pay support for a child or a spouse, you legally must make all reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain reasonable employment (or other source of reasonable income). If you cannot find employment in your normal area of work, you must broaden your search. (If you have a disability that limits your ability to work, then you will have to provide proof of this disability.) To put it simply, you must do the best you can to be able to pay the best amount of support you can.
If a judge concludes, on the evidence presented, that you are not making reasonable efforts to find employment (with reasonable pay), that judge can impute income to you – order you to pay support based on what you could be earning, rather than what you say you are earning. (Income can also imputed if a judge concludes you have not proven you actual income or ability to earn an income.) Once income has been imputed, it may be extremely difficult to change the amount of support,t even if there are major change in financial circumstances.
Evidence
If you are unemployed or underemployed (i.e. working for less money than you could or for fewer hours) you will likely be required to prove you are making reasonable efforts to find reasonable employment. Your word is not good enough. You need to give facts and, if possible, documents to support what you say:
- make entries in a diary of your search efforts
- keep notes of how you are looking for a job
- keep lists of where and when you inquired, applied, and got interviews (and when)
- keep copies of emails, cover letters, applications, resumes, etc.
Some Thoughts on Searching for a Job
Although at times looking for a job can be frustrating, getting a job is possible (unless you have very serious barriers to employment). It may not be the job you want, but you need to show you are living up to your obligations. As hard and discouraging as it may get, you cannot give up. To maximize your opportunities, use different job search methods, such as:
- asking friends, family, old employers, and other contacts
- checking Internet and paper job listings
- going door-to-door to employers and inquiring about employment
- getting additional training or education
- getting help on how to find a job
- use an employment agency
Keep your job search broad in terms of the types of work, the pay, location, the hours, and even consider temporary employment. If you are unable to find the type of employment you want, you will eventually have to look for any job you can do.
Employment Centres & Programs
Employment centres provide free information about finding jobs and employment. They hold employment workshops and seminars on topics such as resumes and interviewing. They also provide computers and faxing services. The following are not-for-profit agencies:
Centre for Education & Training
www.tcet.com
| Brampton East |
263 Queen Street East, Unit 14 |
(905) 595-0722 |
| Brampton City South |
7700 Hurontario Street, Unit 601 |
(905) 457-4747 |
| Mississauga |
210 - 90 Burnhamthorpe Road West |
(905) 949-0049 |
Mississauga YMCA Employment Resource Centre
www.ymcatoronto.org
151 City Centre Drive, Suite 800 (905) 276-9332
Ontario Works in Peel
www.peelregion.ca
| Brampton |
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite B |
(905) 793-9200 |
| Mississauga |
7120 Hurontario Street |
(905) 793-9200 |
Internet Resources
We do not recommend any particular services, but have found these sites that may be of interest:
- job lists and search engines:
- Immigration Peel www.immigrationpeel.ca
Provides information for new immigrants to the Region of Peel including looking for work.
Temporary Employment Agencies
Some employers find permanent, full-time employees by first hiring people on a temporary basis.
These (for profit) companies place workers in temporary jobs. We do not recommend particular services, but this is a list of some of the larger temporary employment agencies that serve the Region of Peel.
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