A $490K child support battle that revealed government failures is finally ending

Even behind a mask, Angela Power's smile radiates as she walks out of her local bank in Halifax and rips up a stack of collection notices and bills.

"I have excavated my children out from under $100,000 worth of student debt, so that feels like freedom," she said.

After more than eight years of fighting over child support with her ex-husband, who moved to Denmark, was deported, hid from Canadian authorities and was later thrown in jail for avoiding payments, a settlement has been reached.

Joseph Power owed more than $490,000 in child support, plus interest, related to their two kids. His ex-wife said she received a "large chunk of what was owed" in early September, and expects the rest will be paid over the next year, and "then we'll be done."

Joseph Power said in a statement to CBC he is pleased an agreement has finally been reached, but adds "this case has set a dangerous precedent for family law in Canada."

Nova Scotia's maintenance enforcement program eventually took aggressive steps to enforce payment from Joseph Power — something his ex-wife pushed for for years. She still has an active lawsuit against the province, alleging the program did not enforce orders in a timely manner.

In the height of the Power vs. Power court battle, a series of reports by the provincial ombudsman, auditor general and an internal review prompted sweeping changes within the Justice Department program. Since 2018, child support arrears in Nova Scotia have dropped from $63 million to $52.7 million, the lowest amount in 15 years.   Enforcement actions have increased by 30 percent in the same timeframe. Currently, there are 44 active cases before the court. In contrast, there were no court proceedings in 2015 for defaults in payment.