As I write this, there are five hours until Jim Flaherty reads his budget speech in the House of Commons. Only one thing is certain about this budget: it will lead to more headaches, and will not fix the fiscal imbalance.
The insiders say the federal government will hand down money to the provinces, and the government did promise to do so in the last election campaign, but that's not going to solve the problem.
Just as the federal government downloaded many services to the provinces over the last decade, they will also download the fiscal imbalance.
And as soon as the speech is over, expect howling from municipalities across the country. There's a fiscal imbalance, they'll scream. Look at all this money the provinces are going to be getting from the feds. Cities need that money. Suburbs need that money. Rural communities need that money.
Oh, and don't forget about school boards. School boards need more money. Students need more computers and books and sports teams.
The fun never stops.