A fun way to recognize the hard work of Port Hope's Roads team is the municipality's new contest

Snowplow-Northumberland County Screenshot

By: Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News

Port Hope

The Municipality of Port Hope invites residents of all ages to exercise their creativity, humour and community pride to come up with names for two snowplows.

It's a light-hearted contest – submissions can be inspired by puns, local landmarks or famous figures, if possible working in words like snow, plow or blizzard.

“Be creative,” the announcement said.

“Just remember to keep it short, catchy, fun and appropriate.”

Submissions will be accepted through Sept. 24 at engage.porthope.ca/name-that-plow, just in time for the 2025-2026 winter season.

“Our snowplow operators work around the clock each winter to keep our community safe and moving, and this contest is a fun way to shine a spotlight on their efforts,” Mayor Olena Hankisky stated.

“We're excited to see the creativity of Port Hope residents as they help us name two of our plows. It's a playful initiative that also highlights the important role our Roads team plays in delivering essential winter services.”

After the contest deadline, the Roads team will narrow the entry down to a shortlist of finalists. Then, from Oct. 8 to 29, members of the community are invited back to the web page to vote for a winner.

The winning names will be announced Nov. 15. The prize is full bragging rights and a photo opportunity alongside the newly named plow.

It's a fun initiative, but Port Hope takes snow-clearing operations seriously. With 15 operators and a fleet of more than 11 vehicles – including tandem axle salter/snowplow units, a large grader, a sidewalk machine, and pick-up trucks equipped with plows and salters – they keep Port Hope's 681-plus lane-kilometres of roads safe.

In recognition of this, the press release said, “let's give these winter heroes the spotlight they deserve!”