Cabinet authorized extra spending to help pay for free driver's licences, other items

At its final meeting on March 26, the day the election was called, the provincial cabinet under Wade MacLauchlan issued special warrants to authorize $35 million in spending over-and-above what was included in last year's provincial budget.

Almost $20 million of that was as a result of an accounting change in terms of how the province records property taxes shared with municipalities.

There was also an additional $3.7 million in extra social assistance benefits handed out last year, along with $1.4 million to pay for free driver's licences, reduced vehicle registration fees and transit subsidies which kicked in three months before the province began collecting its carbon levy.

The Department of Family and Human Services issued $1.2 million in community grants which had not been included in its original budget. A government spokesperson wouldn't say which organizations received the grants, but said 18 groups received one-time funding "tohelp community organizationsmeet in-yeardemands for service."

An extra $126,100 in funding was provided for cabinet itself to pay for the province's new child commissioner's office, which came into being on Jan. 1.

Government says all the additional spending was factored into third-quarter figures, showing the surplus for the fiscal year that just ended estimated at $14 million.

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