Quebec's famed groundhog Fred la Marmotte has died; child stands in for Groundhog Day
The Quebec rodent whose job it was to predict whether spring would arrive early, Fred la Marmotte, died the day before Groundhog Day.
"This year, it's true. It's sadly true," said la Jour de Marmotte committee organizer Roberto Blondin on the event's livestream. "I'm announcing the death of Fred."
Blondin said that the nine-year-old groundhog did not wake up when organizers went to check on him last night.
The event continued in Val d'Espoir, Que., near Perce in the Gaspe peninsula, however, with a child chosen to stand in for Fred and give the annual prediction.
Blondin pulled a stuffed marmot from Fred's log cabin and handed it to a child who decided whether spring would be coming early.
"Spring is delayed," the child announced.
Blondin said next year Fred Junior would return.
CONFLICTING GROUNDHOG FORECASTS
Other weather-predicting groundhogs made the same prediction as the child holding the stuffy in Quebec, but not all of them.
In Nova Scotia, Shubenacadie Sam saw his shadow in Halifax and called for a late spring.
In Oak Hammock March, Manitoba Merv said the province's cold snap will continue.
Iconic Pennsylvania celebrity and one-time Bill Murray co-star Punxsutawney Phil also saw his shadow.
In Ontario, however, Wiarton Willie called for an early spring after emerging from his Plexiglas box. South Bruce Peninsula Mayor Garry Michi made the announcement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.