The province of Nova Scotia wants to be known as more than “Canada’s Ocean Playground”. An interactive campaign was launched this week by Bill Estabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, “Canada’s University Capital” campaign, aims to send a strong message to Ontario students that Nova Scotia is the education destination.

Nova Scotia Come to life, the organization that is running the campaign, hosted an official launch on Monday at the Cunard Centre in Halifax. University representatives from across the province gathered to emphasize that small class sizes and world class institutions are some of the attractive features of Nova Scotian Universities.

University graduates are a vital source for the knowledge economy and make up a large part of Nova Scotia’s workforce. Currently the province has a 89% retention rate for graduates from its institutions. Former teacher Minister Estabrooks emphasizes that graduate retention is the key to driving continued prosperity.

“This campaign is one part of government’s overall goal to attract and retain young people to the province,” Said Minister Estabrooks “after receiving their education at one of the province’s fine universities, we invite those alumni to stay here, put down roots, and build a life in Nova Scotia.”

University Capital has its own website universitycapital.ca which features flash images of the deans of each of Nova Scotia’s eleven Universities and a video about the province.