The warmer winter has the RM of Portage la Prairie thankful for the lighter burden on their budget.

Reeve Kam Blight says he hopes it continues.

Kam Blight"Obviously, we've received a little bit of snow, but we haven't had storm after storm, and blow after blow. So, snow removal has been reduced. Our graders don't have to go out so often, and get involved in that. With the extreme cold and the extra amount of snow comes extra wear and tear on the equipment. So, it's helping in that sense."

Blight says he'd like that to continue.

"Right now this has been a God-send. We appreciate the nice, warm weather, and we appreciate having some snow, but not too much. So far so good. However, we know that can change in a heartbeat. We'll take it while we've got it, but we're prepared if it does come."