The Prince George Citizen - Wednesday, December 16,1992 - 27 MAN PAYING $ 150 A MONTH TO EX-WIFE FOR 19 YEARS Top court grapples by STEPHEN BINDMAN with alimony issue Southam News OTTAWA — How long must a divorced man pay support to his former wife? That's the question the Supreme Court of Canada will attempt to clarify Thursday when it rules on a Manitoba man’s bid to end S150-a-month alimony payments to his former wife 19 years after they separated. Andrzej Moge of Winnipeg claims his ex-wife, a part-time cleaning lady, has now had more than enough time to become economically self-sufficient and his financial lies with her should be severed. But the woman, now 55, says staying home to raise the couple’s three children during their 16-year marriage left her “economically disadvantaged” and still financially dependent on her former husband. Zofia Moge, who has a Grade 7 education and speaks little English, is supported by the feminist Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, which wants the Supreme Court to take into account the long-term financial sacrifices many women make by staying home. “This is an important case for women,” said LEAF lawyer Helena Orton. Any economic disadvantage she may have suffered by raising the children has long since disappeared, lawyer Patrick Johnston argued, and her current situation Is no longer related to her marriage. “He should not be his former wife’s pension plan," Johnson’s brief states. “Following marriage breakdown, women and children in their custody often face a dramatic drop in their standard of living and are more likely to live in poverty than arc men. Recent studies show that one of the reasons for this economic disadvantage is inadequate spousal support awards.” The Mogcs married as youngsters in Poland in 1957, moved to Canada a few years later and had three children before they separated in 1973. Throughout the marriage, he worked full-time as a welder while she stayed at home during the day to raise the children and worked six hours a night cleaning offices. When the couple split, she was awarded custody of the children and $150 a month in spousal and child support. That was increased to $400 in 1987 but two years later the husband, who has since remarried and bought another house, went to court and had the payments terminated. Two years ago, the Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled he must indefinitely continue paying his former wife $150 a month. But in his submissions to the Supreme Court, the man’s lawyer Patrick Johnston argued Mrs. Moge, who continues to work part-time cleaning offices for the Manitoba government, has made absolutely no effort to better herself and become self-sufficient. Johnston said the woman has made no effort to upgrade her employment and skills and cannot depend on her former husband forever. She works less now than she did during the marriage, he said. Any economic disadvantage she may have suffered by raising the children has long since disappeared, Johnston argued, and her current situation is no longer related to her marriage. “He should not be his former wife’s pension plan,” his brief states. “He has been paying spousal support for over 18 years and alleviated any economic hardship that may have befallen his wife as a result of the marriage.” But the woman’s lawyer Peter Bruckshaw argued that in some cases it is simply not practical to expect a woman to become financially self-sufficient after a lengthy traditional marriage. The purpose of spousal support, he said, is to “achieve some measure of economic fairness” between a husband and wife after a marriage breaks down. The modest $150-a-month support is compensation for “the frustration of her hope and expectation” that her husband would support her throughout her life and compensation for “assuming the traditional role of a housewife.” “By assuming sole responsibility for the housework and the care of the children of the marriage, the wife suffered an economic disadvantage and is therefore entitled to spousal support for as long as the economic disadvantage continues to subsist” The five male and two female justices who heard the case reserved judgment in April. FINDS STOLEN LOOT Dog has pal for life JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A four-legged Santa Claus toting a sack of loot has brought an early Christmas to the owners of Paul’s Chevron service station here. A nine-month-old beagle retrieved a bank bag Sunday afternoon containing $4,676 in cash that was stolen the night before from the station. The dog has been ruled out as a suspect, police CapL Mel Personnet said Monday. Officers believe the dog simply smelled the bank deposit bag and dug it up. “That’s the kind of retriever that every owner wants,” Personnet said. The dog’s owner, Butch White Jr., said he and his wife were eating dinner when she saw the dog through the window and said: “What has Anna dragged into the yard now?” “I went outside to check and she had a bank bag in her mouth,” White said. “I unzipped the bag and said, ‘Oh my!”’ Joanne Robitialle, co-owner of Paul’s Chevron, said about $7,000 in cash, checks and credit card receipts had been stolen from the service station’s safe and cash drawer. ii'IfMllllllliWWII!!!! theBbS MUSIC ltd. For a LifeHime of Music GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY CHRISTMAS SALE NOW ON! rEj Cali Now! 3 563-0691 BANJO - VOCAL • P^W° 316 Georqe St. Police suspect the thief had a key to the safe because it was locked Saturday and found unlocked and undamaged Sunday. Robitialle said she now loves dogs more than ever. “That dog has earned free doggie bones for the rest of its life,” she said. THERE'S ACOID HEARTED THIEF IN YOUR HOME. It’s lurking outside the back door. Or in the shadows of the basement. It’s the humming, whirring, clicking, old second refrigerator. And it’s robbing you of cold cash -an old inefficient second fridge can cost you up to $100 a year to run. WE'LL COME AND GET IT AND GIVE YOU $30!* We can take the problem off your hands. We’ll pick up your old operating fridge (10 cu. ft. to 24 cu. ft. size) free of charge, dispose of it in an environmentally safe manner and send you a cool $30. To register in the Program, call the Refrigerator Buy-Back Hot Line toll-free 1-800-663-CASH (2274). In the Lower Mainland, call 683-CASH (2274). BG hydro '‘B.C.Hydro reserves the right to change or cancel the rebate offer at any time without prior notice. • "C- Save up to 48% on your not-so-long distance calls. 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