It is Groundhog Day and Vancouver Island Violet’s prediction is bucking the Canadian trend. Violet made her prediction just after 6am - six more weeks of winter.

Violet is a Vancouver Island marmot, one of only 427 remaining in the wild and is part of a recovery effort that’s making progress toward saving the species.

Violet is part of a conservation breeding program at the Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre.

She, along with her mate Philip and 18 other marmot pairs produce pups that are released into the wild. When the program began, fewer than 30 Vancouver Island marmots remained in the wild.

In Nova Scotia - Shubenacadie Sam was the first to make a prediction in the country - last night.

Winter weather means festivities in Nova Scotia were cancelled this morning. But last night, Sam made an early prediction, foreseeing an early spring.

Lucy the Lobster, also in Nova Scotia, sided with Sam and predicted an early spring.

So too did Fred La Marmotte in Quebec, and Ontario’s Wiarton Willie.

Manitoba Merv, a groundhog puppet at Oak Hammock Marsh, saw his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter, as did Balzac Billy in Alberta 

Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania also saw his shadow this morning and is predicting six more weeks of winter.

But the real word comes from Violet and suggests we should get set for six weeks more weeks of winter.