Mayor of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula Janice Jackson, left, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford pose next to groundhog Wiarton Willie in a ceremony in Wiarton, Ontario. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ball)

Early spring predicted as Groundhog Day announcement goes online

An early spring is coming!

Ontario’s Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow today on Groundhog Day and is predicting an early spring in 2021.

“Well folks, my prediction is official,” the groundhog said in a tweet.

“With cloudy skies and snow falling upon us this morning in Wiarton it was very hard to find my shadow – even with all the camera lights around! Fans of spring rejoice, an Early Spring is around the corner.”

This year, the Groundhog Day forecast was announced from Wiarton, Ontario without the usual live crowds, or celebrations. Instead the South Peninsula Mayor Janice Jackson, acting as Willie’s interpreter, announced an early spring in a video posted this on Tuesday morning.

It is also the 65th anniversary of the Groundhog Day tradition and to celebrate the announcement video decided to pay tribute to the first prediction, which did not include a groundhog, and only a fur hat.

“Thank you so much for joining us on this unusual COVID prediction. I hope you had a lot of fun strolling down memory lane as I sure did,” Jackson said in the video.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also make appearances in the video, celebrating long-standing the Groundhog Day tradition.

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