Summary#

The Supply Act, 2022 is an Ontario law that authorizes public spending and investments for the fiscal year from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. It also repealed two earlier interim appropriation laws; its stated purpose was to authorize amounts shown in the estimates. The Act received Royal Assent and was deemed to take effect on April 1, 2021.

• It authorized up to $168.1 billion for public-service expenses, including amounts that could be recognized as non-cash expenses.
• It authorized up to $5.32 billion for public-service investments in capital assets, loans and other investments, including amounts that could be recognized as non-cash investments.
• It authorized up to $284.36 million for Legislative Office expenses.
• The money had to be used according to the votes and items in the estimates. A ministry could incur an expense if it had responsibility for the program or activity during that fiscal year.

What it means for you#

• Ontario ministries: The Act gave ministries spending authority for the specified year, subject to the estimates. It did not require them to spend every authorized dollar.
• Legislative Offices: The Act authorized spending for the Office of the Assembly, Auditor General, Chief Electoral Officer and Ombudsman Ontario.
• Taxpayers and the public: The Act did not change tax rates, create a new benefit or set new eligibility rules. It authorized government spending and investments for a past fiscal year.
• General public: The Act authorized funding across public-service areas, including health, education and transportation. It did not itself create a new public service or guarantee a particular result.

Money#

The Act authorized up to $173.70 billion in total; this is a spending and investment limit, not evidence that all of it was spent.

• Public-service expenses: up to $168.10 billion.
• Public-service investments: up to $5.32 billion.
• Legislative Office expenses: up to $284.36 million.
• No publicly available information in the supplied material shows how much was actually spent.

What is unclear#

• The supplied text gives ministry totals but not the detailed votes and items that governed each use of the money.
• The actual spending and investment amounts are not stated. No publicly available information on those amounts is included in the supplied material.
• The Act covered the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, and was repealed on April 1, 2023. It does not provide ongoing spending authority.

Case for#

• The Act gave the government legal authority to fund public services and investments for the year, using the estimates as limits and directions.
• Separate authorization for expenses, investments and Legislative Offices makes the main categories of approved funding visible.
• Allowing expenses to be incurred through the ministry responsible for a program during the year could let government continue that work if responsibility moved between ministries.

Case against#

• The Act authorized a very large total, while the supplied text does not show the detailed votes and items needed to see each specific use.
• The authorized amounts are ceilings, not a record of actual spending. Without actual spending figures, readers cannot tell from this material how closely spending matched the authorization.
• The Act states that spending must follow the estimates, but the supplied material does not include those detailed estimates.