Portage la Prairie City Council decided this year that they would invest in its snow-clearing strategy. Mayor Sharilyn Knox says it was agreed that program be improved, especially when it comes to Saskatchewan Avenue, both old and new. This led to the purchase of a mini loader, and they thought it would be great to involve the students to help give it a name by way of a contest. "We involved elementary schools in Portage School Division and the kindergarten class. Mrs. Hauser’s class from Crescentview School won the contest with the name being 'Lucy Loader'," says Knox. "They came saying that girls like machines, too, so the new mini loader is a girl." She explains all K-to-6 classes submitted entries. The mayor paid a visit to the winning class and showed them the loader with the name affixed to it. Knox says they met Faye, one of their operators, and had a pizza lunch with the K-to-6 students. "They were completely thrilled," adds Mayor Knox. "They got to go check it out inside. They thought it was super fun. They can't wait to see it on the street. I've had staff say that we should name all of our equipment. Whether we'll do that, I'm not sure yet, but this is sure a fun start. it's important that young people have an idea of things that are happening in their city. And this is one way to get them involved." In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, PortageOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the PortageOnline app.