Good morning, Mark Iype in Edmonton today.
Well Toronto, if you didn’t pick up the call the last time, Alberta is calling back.
The Alberta government announced Monday that it is expanding its Alberta Is Calling advertising campaign meant to attract workers to fill tens of thousands of job vacancies across the province. Launched last fall under the Jason Kenney-led United Conservative Party, the initial sell was to Toronto and Vancouver, enticing people with promises of jobs coupled with lower costs of living.
But this time, Alberta is looking to smaller communities in Ontario, such as Hamilton, London and North Bay, while also hoping to draw workers from further east in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The main targets are workers in skilled trades, health care, hospitality and technology.
“They know they can get a job in Toronto, but can they live in Toronto? That’s the question and most people recognize they can’t and they can instead come here to Alberta,” said Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development, at a press conference Monday announcing the plan.
Last fall’s cheeky advertisements, seen most prominently in areas of heavy foot traffic and on public transit, grabbed a fair bit of attention at the time. One read, “Find things you’d never expect. Like an affordable house,” while another asked, “What did the Albertan say to the Torontonian? You’re hired.”
But while it’s probably impossible to know the exact number of people who moved to the province because they read a billboard while riding the subway in Toronto, there’s no doubt that lots of Canadians relocated to Alberta.
Nearly 33,000 people from other areas of Canada moved to Alberta in the third quarter last year while 14,000 or so left, making the net gain just above 19,000, according to Statistics Canada. In the previous quarter, there was an increase of about 10,000 people.
Mr. Jean said the newest push will highlight Alberta’s economic advantages, low taxes and high earnings. It will also spotlight Alberta’s world-famous mountains and parks and the livability of its cities. The $5-million campaign will run until April 9 and includes radio, audio streaming, billboards, online displays, social media and search-engine marketing.
One mock-up for the campaign reads: “It’s mountain time somewhere.” And another: “No PST. No payroll tax. No health care premium. Just more money in your pocket.”
The government hopes the second iteration of the campaign will help fill the 100,000 jobs open in the province.
This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.