Tecumseh hoping to be snowed under with entries in its name-the-plow contest

Plow Ya' Doin, Mr. Ice Guy and Control, Salt, Delete are just three of more than 100 entries received so far by the Town of Tecumseh in its first ever name-the-snowplow competition, the town says. 

The town is urging residents to get their entries in for the competition before the Jan. 2 deadline. 

"I'd love to see some names around Chief Tecumseh," said Mackenzie Vandenberg, the town's communications officer.

"I'd also love to see some of our parks and our play areas - maybe those can somehow be wordsmithed into a really fun name. Or even our neighbourhoods. Before amalgamation, we came from three separate townships, so it'd be fun to see if they could work those in there as well."

The contest is a fun way to promote safety around snowplows by getting people thinking about their presence on the roads, Vandenberg said.

"Although we see them on the roads, I don't think people realize quite how large they are," she added.

The township has a total of seven plows to name.

'We've got Plowy McPlowface'

But it won't be leaving the job entirely up to the public, as Britain's Natural Environment Research Council famously did in 2016 when it launched an initiative to name its new polar scientific research vessel and was overrun with votes for "Boaty McBoatface," thanks to a joke by a local BBC host.

Public works officials plan to choose 15 finalists from the list of proposed names then let the public vote for the final seven, Vandenberg said. 

"We've got Plowy McPlowface," she added, referring to the pool of entries. 

Winners get little more than bragging rights for choosing a winning name, Vandenberg said.

But they'll also be presented with a certificate at the Jan. 28 town council meeting where the names are unveiled.

Tecumseh is far from the only municipality in the region to launch a snowplow-naming contest this year.

First grade students at Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School in LaSalle won their town's contest by naming one of LaSalle's snowplows Jack Frost.

And the Municipality of Chatham-Kent honoured local country music icon Michelle Wright last month by naming one of its plows Snow Wright. 

Asked if she thought Tecumseh could beat out its rival municipalities on creativity, Vandenberg replied, "I don't know if it's a competition. I think everyone's a winner."