Budget: Continuity of legal spending authority Special warrant
The Ontario government has passed a special warrant to continue funding expenditures because the House is not currently sitting so there is no alternative source of spending authority.
Full year funding was approved in the budget but the Government only obtained enough legal spending authority under the Interim Appropriation Act, 2007 to carry it until the end of October due to the election. Although the Government budgets for and reflects full year spending in the Printed Estimates, authority to spend on a vote and item basis is limited when there is a break in governance.
These are not new funds. The funds outlined in the special warrants were announced and then tabled in the legislature through the Printed Estimates. Because we did not want to assume the results of the election, the funding was allocated until the end of October. We are now approving funds for a further three months to allow the government to fulfill its financial obligations until the next Legislature begins sitting.
It is unknown exactly when the House will resume. Therefore, if we didn’t obtain additional spending authority through a special warrant, many government programs would not continue beyond the end of October.
SCHEDULE |
|||||
SPECIAL WARRANT |
|||||
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING APRIL 1, 2007 |
|||||
| Ministries | Operating Expense $ |
Operating Assets $ |
Capital Expense $ |
Capital Assets $ |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Affairs | 6,166,000 | 0 | 1,200,000 | 0 | 7,366,000 |
| Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs | 153,200,000 | 800,000 | 56,400,000 | 0 | 210,400,000 |
| Attorney General | 400,735,000 | 0 | 20,000,000 | 0 | 420,735,000 |
| Cabinet Office | 5,135,900 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,135,900 |
| Children and Youth Services | 1,041,541,400 | 1,500,000 | 11,595,000 | 0 | 1,054,636,400 |
| Citizenship and Immigration | 42,201,100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42,201,100 |
| Community and Social Services | 2,277,387,500 | 7,600,600 | 11,125,000 | 0 | 2,296,113,100 |
| Community Safety and Correctional Services | 658,000,000 | 16,000 | 16,100,000 | 0 | 674,116,000 |
| Culture | 34,606,500 | 0 | 8,000,000 | 0 | 42,606,500 |
| Democratic Renewal Secretariat | 750,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 750,000 |
| Economic Development and Trade | 234,775,000 | 70,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 0 | 310,775,000 |
| Education | 3,451,822,300 | 187,500 | 3,250,000 | 0 | 3,455,259,800 |
| Energy | 26,700,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26,700,000 |
| Environment | 72,646,900 | 0 | 10,325,600 | 0 | 82,972,500 |
| Finance | 429,300,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 429,300,000 |
| Francophone Affairs, Office of | 2,586,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,586,000 |
| Government Services | 441,424,700 | 9,967,100 | 9,148,600 | 0 | 460,540,400 |
| Health and Long-Term Care | 10,486,007,900 | 46,946,800 | 171,200,000 | 0 | 10,704,154,700 |
| Health Promotion | 121,356,900 | 500,000 | 5,953,600 | 0 | 127,810,500 |
| Intergovernmental Affairs | 3,200,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3,200,000 |
| Labour | 54,037,200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54,037,200 |
| Lieutenant Governor, Office of the | 481,700 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 481,700 |
| Municipal Affairs and Housing | 267,395,400 | 50,000 | 65,786,000 | 0 | 333,231,400 |
| Natural Resources | 178,500,000 | 100,000 | 35,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 222,600,000 |
| Northen Development and Mines | 21,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 19,000,000 | 180,000,000 | 223,000,000 |
| Premier, Office of the | 1,668,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,668,000 |
| Public Infrastructure Renewal | 23,100,000 | 0 | 97,800,000 | 0 | 120,900,000 |
| Research and Innovation | 88,700,000 | 0 | 45,000,000 | 0 | 133,700,000 |
| Revenue | 196,000,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 196,000,000 |
| Small Business and Entrepreneurship | 9,500,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9,500,000 |
| Tourism | 15,867,000 | 0 | 29,395,000 | 0 | 45,262,000 |
| Training, Colleges and Universities | 1,865,600,000 | 43,000,000 | 56,000,000 | 0 | 1,964,600,000 |
| Transportation | 278,500,000 | 0 | 304,000,000 | 380,000,000 | 962,500,000 |
| TOTAL: | 22,889,892,400 | 183,668,000 | 982,278,800 | 569,000,000 | 24,624,839,200 |
