The Alberta provincial government launched the $2.6 million "Alberta is Calling" campaign in 2022, attempting to attract skilled workers to the west due to its labor shortage.

The campaign included placing ads throughout Toronto subway stations.

In response, an Ontario municipality launched its own campaign targeting Alberta residents who are tired of their sparsely populated province, inviting them to move east to real civilization.

Chatham-Kent municipality issued what it calls a friendly response to the Alberta is Calling campaign, reminding westerners that Ontario still has some great places to live with affordability, as well as thriving job markets.

Chatham-Kent Economic Development announced the new Why CK campaign last Wednesday.

Similarly, Calgary residents are set to see a new series of ads introducing Alberta residents to Chatham-Kent in the same way Alberta tried to attract talent from Ontario.

Mayor Darren Caniff said: "When we heard about Alberta’s ads, we knew we had to issue a friendly reply to let Alberta residents know that Ontario, especially Chatham-Kent, is a great place to live, work, and raise a family."

Caniff prides himself that Chatham-Kent is the fastest growing community in Canada, noting it offers a thriving local economy and affordable housing.

Chatham-Kent also hopes to attract Alberta residents with average detached home prices of $427,000, average one-bedroom rents estimated at $1,210, and abundant job opportunities.

In the same context, Stuart MacFadyen, Economic Development Director in Chatham-Kent, pointed out that even before the campaign launch, the municipality had already seen an increase in new residents from Ontario, across Canada, and also from abroad.

He explained: "Our community offers a unique blend of rural and urban living, access to world-class amenities, and logistics."