Port Hope’s ‘Name that Snowplow’ contest returns
Contest shines light on roads team’s efforts to keep Port Hope safe
By editor/reporter Sarah Hyatt
You may have just finished prepping the kids for the start of school and might not want to believe it, but old man winter will make his return soon enough.
And the Municipality of Port Hope is calling on residents to help give winter heroes a boost ahead of the season with the return of its “Name that Snowplow” contest.
Last year, the municipality launched its first-ever community contest to name two of its plows. “Plowie McPlowFace” and “The Big Leplowski” became familiar sights on local roads throughout a historic winter season.
“Following an overwhelming response to the inaugural contest, we are once again inviting the community to showcase its creativity, humour and civic pride by helping name two snowplows for the upcoming winter season,” the municipality recently announced.
And if this coming winter is anything like the last, these plows and their operators will be out in force.
The region’s last winter featured several historic snowfalls and ice storms that walloped communities across the county, prompting significant weather declarations, shutdowns, and more. There were multiple reports of snowfalls exceeding 20 centimetres – sometimes back-to-back. Reports in neighbouring regions to the east (with more accurate weather station records) got up to nearly 40 centimetres over just one weekend on one occasion.
Old man winter swooped in earlier than normal with a lashing in early December and there several notable extreme weather events in January. Overall, the season felt longer, too, translating to a lot of hours for those tasked with cleanup during and in the aftermath of these storms.
Whatever winter brings later this year, one thing is certain: Port Hope snowplow operators are tasked with tackling snow-clearing operations around-the-clock, and crews will be out again in all the harsh conditions to keep the community safe and moving, noted officials.
And while the goal of this is a fun contest involving the community, it should also serve as a heartfelt boost for front-line staffers and helps highlight the critical efforts of the local roads team.
“Let’s give these winter heroes the spotlight they deserve,” said the municipality, while issuing a call for the community’s participation.
Municipal staff said name submissions will be accepted until Sept. 25.
“Submissions can be inspired by puns, local landmarks or famous figures, and residents are encouraged to try working in words like snow, plow or blizzard,” explained municipal staff, noting engage.porthope.ca/name-that-plow has more information. “Be creative (and) just remember to keep it short, catchy, fun and appropriate.”
The dedicated webpage is also where residents can make their submissions.
After Sept. 25, the roads team will be tasked with narrowing entries down to a shortlist of the top names. From Oct. 27 to Nov. 6, residents will also have a chance to weigh in and cast their votes for their favourites, said staff.
Winners will be announced the week of Nov. 23, “with the champions earning full bragging rights and a photo opportunity alongside their newly-named plow.”
Port Hope has tandem axle salter/snowplow units, a larger grader, a sidewalk machine and pick-up trucks with plows and salters, which all hit the roads during winter. About 15 operators (almost divided equally between the urban and rural areas) are charged with using this equipment to clean and maintain more than 681 lane-kilometres of roads, noted staff.
According to the municipality, this is the equivalent of driving from Toronto to Montreal or from Port Hope to Sudbury. Normally, that’s a seven-eight-hour drive at 90-100 km/h, but snowplow drivers can’t go at that speed in wintry conditions while plowing and salting – and sometimes have to go over the same stretch several times if the snow keeps coming, explained staff.
In a works and engineering year-in-review by the numbers report in 2025, staff detailed there were 4,500 to 5,000 hours’ worth of winter maintenance recorded, which included sidewalk clearing, sanding, salting, plowing, night patrol and snow removal.
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