Busted: Wiarton Willie facing 'fraud' charges from Waterloo Police
People are asking questions, Willie.
Wiarton Willie may be on the run, now that Waterloo Regional Police in southwestern Ontario have announced they'd like to have a word with him.
The declaration was made on social media Tuesday.
The reason?
Fraud.
“Police are actively searching for Wiarton Willie after his bold prediction for an early spring turned out to be…less than accurate,” reads the poster.
It's true -- Willie did predict an early spring this year, but let's cut him some slack.
Historically, his accuracy rating since 2020 has been 29 per cent, far below Manitoba Merv's rating of 73 per cent—although Merv may also have some explaining to do. He predicted an early spring this year as well.
Anything but spring-like
Spring-like weather has been nowhere in sight in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, after back-to-back storms pummelled the eastern portion of the country, leaving behind historic snowfall totals and widespread delays. In many communities, residents are still digging out: On Wednesday, for example, Toronto officials announced it could take up to three weeks to remove excess snow from the storms.
Our artistic rendition of Willie's mug shot. (April Walker and Cheryl Santa Maria for The Weather Network.)
If you happen to spot Willie, Waterloo Police recommend approaching with caution.
"He may try to go back into hiding," they advise.