Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Choose your fighter: groundhog edition.
Feb. 2 is officially Groundhog Day in Canada and the U.S., and that means multiple “official” groundhogs in different regions have stepped up to the plate to predict whether residents will endure a miserable six more weeks of winter, or be given an early spring.
Groundhog Day stems from a superstition held by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania between the 17th and 19th centuries. In medieval Europe, farmers believed that if hedgehogs emerged from their burrows to catch insects, that was a sign of an early spring. When the immigrants arrived in what became the United States, the hedgehog folklore was replaced with groundhogs.
According to the legend, if a groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day, winter will be extended by six weeks. No shadow means an early spring.
So what did the groundhogs predict on Groundhog Day 2023? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast to coast.
Shubenacadie Sam emerged from her burrow Thursday and unfortunately saw her shadow. She made her annual prediction just after 8 a.m. at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Shubenacadie, N.S.
The Twitter account for Sam alerted the public to her prediction and warned not to put away hats or mitts just yet.
Sam was the first groundhog to make a prediction for 2023 due to being in the Atlantic time zone.
In a twist, Wiarton Willie challenged Sam’s forecast by predicting an early spring. Willie, who lives in the South Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, emerged at 8:07 a.m. and did not see his shadow.
This year’s Willie is also white-furred,according to local legend. In 2021, then-Willie died and an understudy that didn’t have the righthue was picked to replace the animal. Now this Willie is the official replacement, and has the white-hued fur.
In a shocking turn of events, Quebec’s Fred la Marmotte died and was unable to fulfill his duties. The nine-year-old groundhog did not wake up when organizers went to check on him Wednesday night. R.I.P. to Fred.
But without an heir, a last-minute replacement had to make their own predictions. A child was picked to standin for Fred in Val d'Espoir, Que., where the ceremony takes place annually.
La Jour de Fred organizer Roberto Blondin picked a stuffed groundhog from Fred’s log cabin and handed it to the child, who then decreed that spring would be delayed.
Next year, a new Fred will return, Blondin said.
Another six weeks of winter is on its way, according to Punxatawney Phil from Pennsylvania.
The groundhog’s predictions in the town of Punxsutawney, which is about 105 kilometres northeast of Pittsburgh, is an annual event that draws thousands of people.
Phil is arguably the more authoritative groundhog, if not more famous, as Phils throughout history have made predictions in Punxsutawney since 1887. He has predicted winter more than 100 times.
With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.