Banff 
Alberta’s “groundhog,” Balzac Billy, predicted a long winter or in groundhog terms, “six more weeks of winter,” this morning.
Legend has it that, on February 2nd, if the groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, winter will last for another six weeks. If it doesn’t see its shadow, winter will be shorter.
Balzac Billy is not a real groundhog and is a mascot from the town of Balzac, 24km north of Calgary.
The origins of Balzac Billy can be traced to the 1970s, when Balzac’s then-mayor, Merle Osborne befriended a Richardson Ground Squirrel. During the next few decades, Balzac Billy disappeared from public life following several inaccurate predictions.
However, he has made a return in recent years as a mascot for the town, drawing in large crowds every February 2nd when he pops out from his burrow in front of Blue Grass Nursery & Garden Centre to share his prediction on how long winter in Alberta will last.
Credit: Blue Grass Garden Centre
The Balzac Business Community Association hosted their Annual Groundhog Day Breakfast to rouse Balzac Billy from hibernation. The celebrations began at 7 a.m. with the annual breakfast.
Billy emerged from his hole at around 8:15 a.m. After greeting the onlookers, he predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow.
Canada’s well-known weather-predicting groundhogs differed in their opinions on how long the winter will last as they delivered their annual forecasts through celebrations this year.
While Manitoba Merv agreed with Billy, other Canadian prognosticators told a different story. Wiarton Willie in Ontario and Fred la Marmotte both predicted an early spring, as did Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam and Lucy Lobster.
