A tongue-in-cheek ad circulating on social media that aims to lure Haligonians away from the ocean breeze to make a home in Regina is creating a stir.

It’s leaving some residents in Halifax confused as to why Regina would even ask them to move out west.

But for the creators of the campaign, it’s all in good fun.

“Obviously, Regina is not for everyone, but it definitely is for the right people,” said Karlie McGeough, marketing and strategic projects manager with Economic Development Regina.

Economic Development Regina recently started an online campaign that speaks to people in Halifax directly.

“So, Halifax, you’re not opening doors for me anymore. It’s time to move on. LiveInRegina.com,” it brazenly boasts.

Those strong words have some Halifax residents feeling a bit miffed.

“I’m confused. Why are they hating on my city? ” said Felix Silver, a clearly proud Halifax resident.

“You should come here. Why? It’s such a random city, too. Why?” added Josefa Hernandez.

Fellow Haligonian Lindon Thomas also called the campaign “random.”

“I don’t know why people would want to move to Regina,” Thomas mused.

The campaign actually began in 2025, and Halifax is one of four cities targeted — the others being Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

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Over in Regina, McGeough tells Global News the ads were meant to be lighthearted and spark conversation, as well as attract interested people in considering Regina.

“It’s just been so fun to kind of see this have legs,” she said.

“Kind of a win for us at the end of the day is that we’re in the conversation and people are seeing this and people are interacting with it.

Since the ads were released, McGeough says more than 50 people have reached out.

“Majority of them are career-focused, which is what our marketing is mainly focused with. But we also have questions about lifestyle and neighbourhoods and schooling systems, and that’s something we can definitely help with,” she said.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski adds it’s not about denying that other cities are good places to live, but that Regina should be part of the conversation, too.

“It’s really just highlighting what Regina has to offer, in a bit of a lighthearted way,” he said.

“We have a lot of benefits of living in Regina and I’ve spoken before about how we need to be a little less humble about the things we can do really well.”

Among the long list of benefits, said Bachynski, are sports teams, job opportunities, more affordable housing and a strong community.

“We’re small enough where there’s really only about two degrees of separation. It’s a great, tight-knit community. We have short commute times. We have an international airport to get around,” he said.

“We’ve got some of the lowest housing prices in Canada. And as well … we have all the amenities of a mid to large-sized city.”

While some Haligonians seemed protective of their city and questioned what Regina could offer, the mayor brought up the contentious issue of the weather.

“I can tell you, we don’t have hurricanes, given that we’re not near a big ocean. So there are some natural benefits there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore says he finds the whole situation humorous, too, adding he’s not concerned about losing people to Saskatchewan’s capital.

“We are the fastest growing city, or close to the fastest-growing city in the country right now, and that’s going to stay that way for a while,” said Fillmore.

“So we’re in the enviable position of not needing to advertise for population growth. It’s happening because people are dying to be in Halifax right now.”

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