Groundhog Day will be observed online across Canada today in the interest of public safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario's Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam will make their annual predictions in front of no crowds, instead the critters' emergence from their homes will be broadcast.
Folklore has it that if a groundhog sees its shadow on Feb. 2, it will retreat into its burrow, heralding six more weeks of cold weather.
No shadow is said to foretell spring-like temperatures are on the way.
Janice Jackson, the mayor of Wiarton, Ont., says that the town in the South Bruce Peninsula has pivoted the celebration of its famous albino groundhog to a webcast.
Organizers for Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia say they will not be hosting a public event but will be livestreaming his prediction on the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park's Facebook page.
Groundhog Fred La Marmotte in Val-d'Espoir, Que., will also be delivering his forecast online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2021.
The Canadian Press
