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The 2012-2013 Estimates set out details of the operating and capital spending requirements of Ministries for the fiscal year commencing April 1, 2012. The Estimates constitute the Government’s formal request to the Legislature for approval of the amounts involved. All expenditures from the Consolidated Revenue Fund must be authorized by an appropriation, either through the Supply Act or other legislation.
The Estimates are required to be tabled no more than twelve sessional days after a Budget is presented. The Standing Committee on Estimates considers the Estimates of between six and twelve Ministries or offices. Once approved by the Legislature in the Supply Act, the Estimates become the legal spending authority for each Ministry.
The Votes and Items contained in the Estimates provide a framework for legislative control of public spending, which must be consistent with the purpose of each Vote and Item and cannot exceed Voted totals without legislative authority.
To allow the government to operate after the beginning of a fiscal year and pending the approval of the Estimates and the enactment of the Supply Act for that fiscal year, interim spending authority is required. On March 7, 2012, the Legislature passed a motion for interim supply authorizing expenditures for the period April 1st, 2012, through September 30, 2012, such payments to be charged to the proper appropriation for the 2012-13 fiscal year, following the voting of supply.
The government has also introduced the proposed Interim Appropriation for 2012-2013 Act, 2012. If approved by the Legislature, this Act would replace the motion for interim supply and would provide interim legal spending authority for anticipated 2012-13 expenditures, pending completion of the 2012-13 supply process. These expenditures would have to be applied in accordance with the votes and items set out in the Estimates and Supplementary Estimates for the fiscal year commencing on April 1st as tabled in the Assembly.
As its title indicates, the proposed Interim Appropriation for 2012-2013 Act, 2012, is not intended to be a permanent statute. Subject to the approval of the Legislature, it is anticipated that this proposed statute would be repealed upon the enactment of the Supply Act for the fiscal year commencing on April 1, 2012.
The Expenditure Estimates of the Province of Ontario is comprised of two or more separate volumes/publications:
Volume 1: Details the spending plans of government Ministries and Offices for the fiscal year.
Volume 2: Sets out the spending plans of the Board of Internal Economy Offices, i.e., Office of the Assembly, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Ombudsman Ontario, and Office of the Auditor General.
Supplementary Estimates: Where it is necessary to seek the Legislature’s approval for additional expenditures after the tabling of the Main Estimates, Supplementary Estimates may be tabled.
The Estimates for each Ministry or Office are categorized as Operating Expense, Operating Assets, Capital Expense and Capital Assets. The spending plans within these categories are further classified as Votes, Items, Standard Accounts and Statutory Appropriations.
The Votes are major programs which Ministries are responsible for delivering. Each Vote is identified by a unique Vote number within the Estimates. Votes in turn are sub-divided into Items in order to distinguish between their different functions or services. This Vote/Item structure permits the Legislature to be more specific in appropriating funds to particular services. Items may be further sub-divided into Sub-Items, which can provide additional information on the Program/Function, if necessary.
In the Estimates, Statutory Appropriations are shown subsequent to the total amounts to be voted in the “Ministry Program Summary”, “Vote Summary” and “Standard Account Classification” sections. Statutory Appropriations represent payments pursuant to a specific legislative authority and are not included in the Supply Act.Within each Item and Statutory Appropriation, expenditures are detailed by standard account, i.e., Salaries and wages, Employee benefits, Transportation and communication, Services, Supplies and equipment, Transfer payments, Other transactions, etc. (see Terms and Definitions Used).
Each Ministry’s detailed section of the Estimates begins with a “Ministry Program Summary” table providing a high-level perspective of each Ministry’s planned spending, listing all Votes/Programs showing total amounts to be voted, then adding Statutory Appropriations and consolidations and other adjustments. Following the “Ministry Program Summary” is a “Vote Summary” table for each Vote, listing each Item and Statutory Appropriation details within that Vote. Subsequent to the Vote-Item listing is a breakdown of each Vote-Item and Statutory Appropriation by standard account.
For comparative purposes, Estimates and Actual amounts for prior years are provided on “Ministry Program Summary” and “Vote Summary” pages. These amounts are restated to provide comparability where functional reorganizations and transfers, Supplementary Estimates or accounting changes have occurred. Restatement summary to previously published data is shown in a separate table following each Ministry’s section in the Estimates.
Consolidation and other adjustments are provided on each “Ministry Program Summary” page, where applicable. Consolidation combines the Items of Ministries with those of other government organizations, i.e., agencies, boards and commissions. The adjustments reconcile the spending requests of Ministries as set out in the Estimates to the annual Budget, which is prepared on a consolidated basis. A final total of Operating and Capital expenses plus Statutory Appropriations and consolidations and other adjustments completes the picture of total Ministry spending (excluding assets).
Following the Ministry sections are twelve summary tables listing operating, capital, and total operating and capital Estimates totals for all Ministries.
The Estimates are prepared on the accrual basis of accounting.
There are no format and presentation changes in 2012-13.
As in the previous year, the cover of the Estimates is visually linked to the cover of the Budget to make more evident the connection between the two documents as elements of the same process in the continuum of financial reporting.
Assets are balance sheet accounts which require an appropriation in the Estimates. Asset categories include the following:
Public Accounts
Comprised of 3 volumes containing the Consolidated Revenue Fund schedules, ministry statements showing actual expenses, financial statements of significant provincial crown corporations, boards and commissions, and detailed schedules of payments made from the Consolidated Revenue Fund by Ministries to vendors and transfer payment recipients.
www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/paccts
Results-based Plan Briefing Books
Published annually by each Ministry, following the Ontario Budget and publication of the Estimates. The Plans highlight what each Ministry has done over the previous year, what is planned for the coming year, what targets have been set and how results will be measured. The Standing Committee on Estimates uses the Results-based Plan Briefing Books when they ask Ministries to defend their Estimates.
Ontario Budget
The Ontario Government presents a Budget each year, usually in the early spring. This document outlines expected expense and revenue for the upcoming fiscal year.
www.ontario.ca/budget